Rebound (Sendoh Fanfic)
by brightbluesky77
Summary: Yuki has stopped playing basketball ever since the incident back in Tonari Junior High. Entering Ryonan High School now, she meets a guy that made her wanting to play basketball again. With help from her childhood friend, Kouichi and spiky-hair guy, Sendoh Akira, she found herself back in the basketball world. Can she move on or will she continue to be haunted by the past?
1. Chapter 1

The ticking sound of the clock resounded loudly, breaking the silence in my room. I couldn't get out of bed with my body perfectly lodged onto it, unwilling to be separated from the softness of my bed. I've been awake for a while but I didn't want to leave my comfort area. My eyes were glued onto the blank, white ceiling as I dread on the start of my new life.

High school.

In about an hour and a half, I'll be sitting in a new class, being in a new environment and surrounded by new faces. My head starts to visualize how my first day in high school will turn out and uneasiness wrapped me whole. I feel like I was drowning until I heard a knock on the door.

"Yuki," my mum's voice rang through the door. "It's time for school,"

"I'm awake," I replied and finally got myself to sit up on my bed. The bed creaked lightly as I got out of it and my legs stepped on the cold wooden floor, sending chills to my body.

I made my way into the toilet, turned on the faucet and water run smoothly out of it. I didn't need to gaze into the mirror to know how much of a mess I looked. The medication didn't help in the end and I barely got any sleep. Sure enough, when I looked up at my reflection, my eyes were bloodshot with a face paler than ever.

Here's to the start of my day.

I stepped out of the house and looked up to the sky. The sun hasn't come up yet so it was still a little dark. The weather seems damped but the wind felt good.

As I walked down the empty street, I took in the neighbourhood that I've never actually seen yet. Rows of houses stood still in silence, with trees and flowers surrounding them. Birds were chirping harmoniously, welcoming morning.

It actually felt… peaceful. A feeling I haven't sense in a while.

Something on my left caught my attention. It was a row of high fences that was covered by bushes and vine wrapped around the nettings. As I got closer, a basketball court revealed in front of me. There's a court here? So near to my house?

I staggered to a stop and stood by the side of the court.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

A dribbling basketball sound. It's been a while since I've heard it.

A flashback snaked into my mind. Running. Passing. Jumping and...

I snapped out of the flashback and shook the thought away. Get a grip of yourself, Yuki. Why are you going back there? Besides, this isn't the time for it.

I focused back on my surrounding and concentrate on the dribbling.

Isn't it a little dark and way too early to be playing basketball? I took a few steps ahead until I was under a rusted lamp post, just next to the gate.

I peered into the court cautiously. Standing in the middle of the wide court was a figure. His back was facing me so I couldn't exactly see the face but it was a guy. He was wearing a white shirt and dark short pants. Even from this distance, I can see that he's really tall. His dark spiky hair stood still and wavered a little when the wind blows.

His hand was dribbling a basketball and his head tilted towards the direction of the hoop. The dribbling sound is so nostalgic. It's been a year, hasn't it?

Right then, he jumps and shoots. His timing, stance and gesture. They were perfect. My breath was taken away by his flawless form. There's no doubt that he's a great basketball player. Not many players in my life were considered to be perfect but he's just that good.

The ball goes into the air and stayed upwards temporarily before arching towards the orange hoop. As it falls through the hoop, the guy ran ahead to catch the ball and when he turned around, he was facing my direction.

I didn't see his face clearly since it's was still kind of dark. He didn't move but kept staring at me. For some kind of reason, I found myself blushing and my legs swiftly took me away. As I reached the playground nearby, the dribbling sound started again. I turned around for a moment, resting my eyes on the basketball court. My heart was beating really fast, too fast.

I looked up at the sky, cleared my mind and continued my way to school.

After a while, I finally reached the entrance of the school. I wonder what kind of life awaits me in this new environment. Will it be different from last time? I clenched my fist as I took a deep breath and stepped through the school gate.

Students everywhere excited to start a new year in school and the sound of chattering was loud. I was overwhelmed by the huge crowd and try to calm myself down. I quietly made my way ahead but starts to feel anxious, wondering where to go and what to do now.

"Yuki?"

I heard my name but I kept going ahead. There shouldn't be anyone that I've known from Junior High that came to this school so I'm pretty sure it wasn't me that the voice was calling out to.

"Sasaki Yuki!"

Huh?

I turned towards the voice and standing with a bunch of guys, was a familiar face that I haven't seen in years. He left his friends and made his way towards me.

"It's been such a long time, Yuki!" he said as he put his hands on my shoulders. "Do you remember me?"

It was Kou. My ex-neighbour from Nagoya. He moved away after I started Junior High and we've lost contact ever since. We practically grew up together and he was the one that got me into basketball. He's a reliable, kind and like a brother I never had.

"Kou! What are you doing here?" I asked, astonished.

"Well, I study here. Why are you here, away from Nagoya?" he removed his hands from my shoulders and stood upright.

I took a closer look at him. He has become taller, more than a head taller than me. His skin was tanner than before too and his strong grip on me earlier showed off his tight muscle. Still as good looking as ever with his easy smile, dark brown eyes matched with his black tousled hair.

"Ah… Well, my family had just moved here because Father was assigned to a new role here in Yokohama," I explained. "I didn't expect I'll ever see you again though."

"Me too. I missed you," he said as he ruffled my hair. "How did we lose contact, anyway?"

"Your house burned down. Your family and you moved to stay with your relatives," I adjusted my hair. "My family and I came back from a trip and heard of the news. Then, you never came back. It happened so suddenly that we didn't even get a chance to say our goodbyes."

"Oh! That's right. I remembered everyone was there to send us off but you weren't there. I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "I should have called but I didn't have your number and I thought that I would be at the relatives' temporarily but my family decided to stay. One thing led to another, I've been here since."

I shook my head and smiled. "I'm just glad to see you doing well, Kou."

"So how have you been since?" he asked cheerfully but my emotion wavered at his question.

He must have caught onto something on my expression and was going to ask me about it but he was cut off by an arm slung around his shoulder.

"Hey, Kouichi," a new, rough voice joined in. "Are you hitting on the freshman on the first day of school? You've improved. I'm proud of you."

This guy was a slightly bigger version of Kou. He was taller with a wider body, with a buzz cut hair. His skin was slightly tanner than Kou's too.

"I'm not," Kou tried to shrug his friend's hold on him but his friend kept holding on. "Hey, let go of me!"

"Come on, introduce me," he urged Kou and smiled a little too warmly at me. Kou sighed and looked annoyed.

"This is a very old friend of mine, Sasaki Yuki," he said lazily as he looked at his friend but became bright when he turned towards me. " Yuki, this is my idiotic friend, Asato Shunpei. He's a senior like me."

"It's nice to meet you, Asato-senpai," I greeted the guy in front of me.

"It's nice to meet you too. You can just call me Shunpei, Yuki-chan," he said.

I was taken aback with him referring to me by my last name but I smiled politely. "I don't think that's appropriate for me to call you like this, senpai."

"Any old friend of Kouichi has the privilege to do so," he said to me with a wink.

"Hey, don't flirt with Yuki," Kou said as he shrugged off Asato-senpai's arm again but successful this time. "She's off limits. Stay away from her."

Asato-senpai questioned him, "Why not? Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"No, but she's like a sister to me and she just moved here. I have the responsibility to look out for her."

"Oh, please. I'm sure Yuki-chan wouldn't want someone like you looking out for her. Right, Yuki-chan?"

"Who are you to decide that for her? I mean it, Shunpei. Ten steps away from her starting now. And don't call her Yuki-chan. You guys are not even friends for you to refer to her this way."

"Yuki-chan, Yuki-chan, Yuki-chan," Asato-senpai called my name repeatedly to Kou's face.

"Stop it, Shunpei," Kou said protectively.

I laughed a little at both of their bickerings. It's been a while since I've felt the warmth from being with friends. Although I've just reunited with Kou and met his friend, it was… fun.

Just then, there was an announcement that sounded through the speaker of the school. "Freshmen, please make your way to the auditorium now for the opening ceremony that will be starting soon. Kindly follow the signs and ask for help from any teachers if you are lost."

"Well, that's my cue to go," I said to Kou and Asato-senpai.

"Do you want me to take you there?" Kou asked kindly.

"No, it's okay," I gestured over to a group of students that were walking ahead. "I will just follow them. I think they are freshmen too."

"Okay then," he pointed right towards a white building with a grey roof that was behind what appears to be a football field. "That's the auditorium, right there."

"Thank you, Kou," I bowed and was about to turn away.

"Yuki," he called out so I stood still and looked at him. His face was unreadable. "I'll see you around. Maybe we can catch up and talk."

Does catching up means I have to tell him what happened in Junior High? He was the other best friend that I ran to whenever I have problems or doubts. I was always honest with him but being apart for such a long time, I wasn't sure if I can open myself up to him. What's more, something inside me is telling me not to say anything.

"Yeah, Yuki-chan. Let's chat again. I would like to get to know you more and hear some dirty bits about Kouichi," Asato-senpai cut in. Kouichi elbowed him and he grunted.

I smiled again, "Okay, Kou and Asato-senpai. See you." I turned and head towards the gym.

Kou. Comparing him from when he was a kid and now, he has a mature air surrounding him now. He was a brotherly figure but he was childish too. My heart felt a little lighter after talking to him and Asato-senpai. I started to reminiscence the old days growing up with him. The talks, lame jokes and basketball.

I shook my head and decided to pay attention to where I was heading instead. I was getting nearer to the auditorium now. As I walked through the entrance, I felt a blast of cooling air. The auditorium is huge and the floor was smooth. On the floor, there was white lining, framing the basketball court. If it weren't for the chairs covering most of the floor and this is an opening ceremony, my brain might be freaking out now.

A swarm of students has already sat down and waiting for the speeches to begin. I found a row of empty seats and immediately sat on a chair in the inner corner of the middle row. I scanned the wide room. There were too many students Teachers welcoming students. Students laughing. A spiky-haired guy passing by. More students walking into the hall.

Wait, spiky hair?

My head turned sharply towards the guy and my eyes followed him. That height and that hair. Isn't him the guy from this morning? He was walking to the front and before long, he was gone.

I considered of standing up to spot him but a sweet voice came from above my head distracted me.

"Hi, is it okay if I sit beside you?" the owner asked.

It was a girl with dark brown hair tied up in two loose ponytails. Cute, short and full of energy.

"Sure, have a seat," I said as I shifted my seat a little. I took one more glance at the front again but no more sign of Spiky Hair.

"Thank you," she said as she sat down beside me. "I am so excited for our first day. By the way, I'm Hibari Fumika. I was from Wazai Junior High. What about you?"

"Sasaki Yuki from Tonari Junior High," I replied, warily.

"Tonari? Where is that school? I've never heard of it before."

"It's from the Aichi prefecture. I had just moved here."

"Oh, really? It must be hard to move from another place to here. How are you holding up?" she asked with a kind tone.

"I'm not sure yet. I haven't gotten the chance to check this place out yet since I've just come here a few days ago."

"Well, if you like, I could bring you around. There's this place that serves the best sweet puffs."

I was hesitant again. I went on for a year in Junior High without any friends. I wasn't sure if I am open to making friends again. I don't even know if I deserved it.

Hibari noticed my silent and quickly said, "Hey, I am sorry. I didn't mean to come on so strong. Everyone tells me that I am too talkative and can be ignorant sometimes."

"No, it's not that. I just wasn't sure if I should eat sweet puffs. I'm on a diet, after all," I lied and patted my stomach. I shouldn't go offending people on the first day.

"Hey, you're thin enough. You shouldn't even consider a diet. Listen closely now. Sweets are the epitome to life. It makes you happy when you're sad and happier when you're happy."

I couldn't help but laugh a little at her words. "That's a very interesting way of seeing it."

"Of course. Now that you have gotten to know me, you'll get a lot more of this," she said with a wide grin on her face.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"By the way, Yuki. If you don't mind me calling you by your last name. My instinct tells me that you and I are going to be good friends during our days at this school." she gave me a genuine smile.

I returned her smile weakly and nodded. "Sure, Hibari."

"Fumika. Call me Fu-mi-ka."

"O-okay, Fumika," I observed her and my mind drifted to the past. My heart starts to ache a little. Physically, they looked different but she does remind me of 'her' so much. Friendly, hyperactive and happy-go-lucky. They even like sweets. The resemblance is uncanny but deep down, I know no one can replace 'her', no matter what.

As my heart starts to clench again, I was distracted by a voice sounded in the gym through the loudspeaker. "Everyone, please settle down. We will be starting the entrance ceremony now."

The auditorium became quiet and everyone's attention was on the stage. The speaker walked off the stage and another man took over the microphone. "Welcome to Ryonan High School."

That is how my first day of school started off.


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, school has ended. Fumika and I parted ways at the front gate. She waved goodbye at me a little too enthusiastically before turning down a street and I walked the other way. First day wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. From reuniting Kou to meeting Fumika, it was an improvement from Junior High.

I ended up in the same class as Fumika. When she found out about that, she was practically leaping in excitement. As refreshing as her hyperactivity is, I wasn't sure if I was ready to have a friend again especially one that resembles 'her' so much.

I decided to take the same route I took this morning again. I couldn't help but wonder if I'll get to see Spiky Hair again.

I was sure that I saw his hair earlier in the opening ceremony. But then again, it could have been anyone's. I was kind of hoping that I could have seen that figure again later on but no glimpse of it in the end. Possibly it's not him after all? A hallucination?

I took my time walking down the alley. Unlike earlier this morning, it was livelier now with residents greeting one another as they passed by their neighbours, mothers with groceries on one hand and another holding their children.

When I reached the playground, kids ran around, laughing and playing. I stopped walking and stood beside a tree, admiring them. There was a short, chubby boy that accidentally slipped and fell flat on his face. He didn't cry. Instead, he stood back up and continued running, chasing after his friends.

I wished I was like him. To be able to stand back up after falling down and move forward but I wasn't strong enough. It seems so peaceful like there's nothing that can disturb them, worry them or weigh them down. The laughter, the carefree feeling and the friendship.

I envy that.

I continued on with my way, heading towards the basketball court. My heart skipped a beat when I heard the sound of the ball dribbling on the floor. I stopped at the same spot I did this morning, right under the lamp post.

I was disappointed. It was just a bunch of kids playing basketball. I would like to see Spiky Hair again if possible. I was still enticed by his form from this morning. I guess it might be because it's been a while since I've seen basketball that close up.

The basketball court was grey and feels old. It might have been around here for a while. One of the hoops has no ring and the board was already cracked on the side. It was big though as it can still fit two steel benches on the side just before the white lines on the floor. This reminded me of the court I used to go to when I was a kid.

However, seeing the kids throwing the ball around clumsily reminded me so much of my childhood especially when I started primary school. After class, I would always run to the basketball court near my house. Kou would always be there with a basketball ball in his hand. I would ruin his days as I attempt to snatch the ball from him relentlessly. Back then, I couldn't even hold the ball properly in my tiny hands as it kept slipping from my grasps.

Kou was pissed because he felt like I was wasting his time but slowly, my interest in basketball deepens and I got him to teach me basketball. Mainly at first, I would chase the ball around and throw it back to him. Those simple things became a part of me training my arms, legs and stamina. Eventually, he tutored me for real and I became his training partner. Those were some good memories.

Despite the fact that I've quitted and will never play basketball anymore, this sport still holds a special spot in my heart. I close my eyes as I leaned on the rusted fence, taking in the sound of dribbling basketball. Thoughts from the past drifted into my mind and this time, I welcomed it.

_Thump. Thump. Thump _

"Hey, Yuki. Stop talking and pass me the ball!" my captain, Mai-san shouted at me from across the room.

I was in the middle of the court, dribbling the ball with my right hand while defending Sara with the other. I knew I've been hogging the ball for far too long but Sara and I were about to get to the good parts of the gossip.

Nishioka Sara, my best friend in class and basketball team. Both of us have stuck with each other in third grade and have never been separated since. Thanks to basketball, our bond was stronger than it ever was. She was there whenever I needed her support especially after Kou was gone. The most carefree and happy go lucky person I have ever known. My only best friend.

We were actually in the middle of a practice game but we couldn't resist it. The gossip about the guys' basketball team's captain was just too juicy for me to let go. There wasn't a referee since it's a free play and the coach wasn't here too so Sara and I took this chance to fool around. We continued talking while my hand dribbles until Mai-san shouted at me again.

I bypassed Sara while still laughing and threw the ball at Mai-san. She receives it and dribbled her way to the ring and shoots. As soon as the ball goes through the loop, she turned around and stormed towards me. Mai-san raised her fist and lightly knocked my head which stung a little.

Kawazoe Mai, captain of the team and someone that I've respected greatly ever since I've joined the team. A reliable person with the right words, right mind and right attitude. She can be a very strict person that frightens people but with us, it's just plain nonsense. A good leader that pushes you ahead.

"Can you just be serious during the practice, for once?" she asked. I tried to compose myself and stopped laughing. Then Sara came into view and stood behind Mai-san. She made a funny face which made me laughed again. I received another knock as Mai-san let out an exasperated sigh.

Sara voiced out, "Oh, come on, captain. You have got to chill out and listen to the story. It's about the captain from the guy's basketball team and one of the juniors in this school. It's a really funny story."

"I don't care about that. We are about to have a match with Kijo Junior High next week and both of you are just fooling around on the court. Can we please, be serious about this?"

"Relax, we can handle this. Did you forget about the genius we have on our team?" Sara said as she walked towards me and put her arm on my shoulder. "We have Yuki, right here. We can never lose."

"You don't know that. Kijo has a junior that has recently joined their rank. I heard that she is a prodigy which means that she could even be better than Yuki herself," Mai-san said.

"Hey! Why are you girls huddled there? Don't we have a game here?" a new voice joined in the conversation. Reira-san. She stood beside Mai-san and glanced at Sara. "What did you do this time?"

Hatano Reira. The vice-captain of the team. She's like the cool sister that you want to hang out with for a stress-free day. An outgoing and sporty person that just makes you like her instantly. The kind and nice senior that all juniors adore.

"I'm not the one that got knocked on my head. Yuki was the one fooling around," Sara said as she poked my cheek with her finger.

"She's the one with the gossip," I said as I pulled her cheek.

"Okay, stop! You two should behave more like Kinoe-chan," Reira-san nodded her head towards Kinoe who was holding the ball. She was facing off the other members while we were here, talking.

"Relax. Kinoe-chan can handle them herself, no problem. Since four of us are here now, it's practically a three on three," Sara said confidently.

I nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah, that's true."

"Rei, help me," Mai-san said helplessly to her vice-captain. "I can't handle these two anymore."

"You're the captain. Shouldn't you do it? Oh, wait. I'm the vice-captain. I need to step in when my captain is in trouble," Reira-san said and her face turned serious at the both of us. "What's the gossip?"

I laughed out loud while Sara was gearing up with another go at the juicy gossip. Mai-san just sighed and shook her head as though she had given up.

"One of the juniors-"

Sara was cut off by another voice.

"Senpais! Are the four of you planning to end the practice game already?" Kinoe said as she approached us, leaving the rest of the players on the court staring as us dumbfoundedly. "If not, at least get someone else to substitute you. Some of us do take this seriously."

"Oh, come on, Kinoe-chan," Sara skipped towards her and wrapped her arm around Kinoe chan's shoulder. "Lighten up!"

Muto Kinoe. Despite being the youngest among us, she's the most mature and serious. However, just like Mai-san, being with the four of us, she loses herself sometimes too and ends up getting caught up with our childish momentum. When it comes to Sara, she's helpless because Sara teases her to an extreme that even I can't handle.

"Sara-senpai, we're losing," Kinoe-chan replied coolly. This made Sara's expression changed. I recognised that look. Her game face.

"Well, shall we go for another round, then?" Mai-san said as she stretches her arm and we strode towards the group.

_Thump Thump Thump_

"Hello?"

I felt a finger tapping on my shoulder which brought me back to reality. I looked over to my left and a short old man stood beside me with a grin. "Are you lost?"

He looked like one of those elders that we've seen on movies. With long grey beard up to his neck and bald head, his eyes squinted in a gentle and kind manner that makes my heart aches a little by just looking at him.

I shook my head and shifted my body upright, away from the rusted fence. "No, I'm just thinking of some stuffs," I replied politely as I turned towards the kids in the basketball court when they shouted in excitement.

"Ah, a fan of basketball, I assume. Do you play?" his eyes twinkled as he asked me.

"Oh, no. Not anymore," I said quietly.

"That's a shame. I used to play a lot when I was your age. Not a good player but it was my favourite hobby and a good way to charm the ladies," he gave me a wink which brought a smile to my face.

"I'm sure you're a ladies' man."

"Not as much as my grandson. My young boy is a great basketball player and girls love him."

Boy? A kid then? Possibly from primary or middle school. "Your grandson sounds great."

"He is. I love to take him fishing regularly whenever I'm free," he said happily. "He's a good kid and listens to my story even though it's dull."

I smiled as I listened. I never met my grandparents in my whole life since they weren't around anymore. So, talking to this man right here warms me up and gave me an idea on how grandparents are. I started imagining him holding his young grandkid's hand and the other with fishing gear, heading towards the seaside, just like those mothers earlier.

"So why did you quit basketball?" he asked me all of a sudden and caught me off guard. I didn't answer and looked aside. Uneasy feelings stirring in my heart.

We stood like that for a while, I know he's expecting an answer but I can't. I can't talk about this. He must have seen the reluctant look on my face so he didn't press on.

"There's no knowing what's going to happen to me in the future but you're still young," he said. "You should cherish those moments and look forward to the future. Live your life to the fullest."

I observed him in silence as I digest the message that he was trying to send me. He looked back at me with a kind smile on his face.

"Oh, dear. Look at your shirt, there's some dirty stain on it," his finger trembled a little as he pointed at my shirt.

Sure enough, brownish marks from the fence were imprinted on my shirt. I cursed beneath my breath softly as I try to wipe the dirt off the shirt. It wasn't working. In fact, I made it worse as the stain spread to a big blot on my white shirt.

"I should go. It was nice to meet you," I said hastily as I adjusted my bag away from the stain. Mum is not going to be happy with this.

"Well, take care. I hope to see you again if you're ever in this neighbourhood. Feel free to come here and chat with this boring old man."

"It was an honour, Oji-san. Thank you and goodbye."

I gave him a smile again before I walked away. What an interesting old man. I guess taking this route was a good idea after all.


	3. Chapter 3

I stifled a yawn as I look ahead, trying to pay attention in class but I couldn't focus. The medication didn't work again and despite my fatigued body, I still couldn't sleep properly. Maybe it's time to change my medication again.

Miyuki-sensei, my homeroom teacher who also happens to be our Japanese teacher continued with her lesson. My attention drifted from left to right until it landed on Fumika. She was sitting at the front of the class. At first, she had wanted to sit beside me but due to her height, Miyuki-sensei changed her seat.

_Ringggggggg!_

That was the sound of the ringing lunch bell. Fumika got up from her seat and head towards my direction. She took a sit in front of me and settled her lunch box on my table. We start to exchange the common pleasantries about school, teachers and classmates.

It was mainly her talking while I listened and comment when needed. At first, I was worried that the conversation might drop dead at one point and become awkward. Turns out, it wasn't because she kept the conversation going.

I noticed that she really talks a lot but it was refreshing. It distracts me from completely submerging myself in my own world. A healthy thing would be what my ex-counselor will say.

I know she resembles 'her' but not like this. Fumika is unique in her own way. She mainly talks about herself and it's actually really interesting.

She's the only child, just like me. During the weekend, she'll help out with her father's grocery store. It's on the side of the town so I've never seen it before but apparently, that's the town that students will normally go after school. She lost her mother when she was very young but her father remarried 2 years ago and her new mum is kind. She's hoping that her father will consider having another child especially a girl so she can play dress-up with her sister.

She loves to make origami, something I wasn't good at. She learns cooking from her new mum and her specialty is making bento with cute characters. She said she'll make one for me in the future. She hates studying but she loves to read. When it comes to languages and essays, she scores the highest but scores zero in mathematics. I guess she doesn't like numbers.

Her favourite colour is pink because it's eye-catching and striking. Her room is completely pinkish from her bed sheet, curtains and even her furniture was pink. Man, I can't imagine what the room will look like. She loves dolls and pop songs. She hates lizards and cockroaches.

She felt so girlish to me. Most of the ex-team members of mine were like me, the boyish type. Of course, they still act like girls but not as pinkish as Fumika. We had similar tastes especially... her.

I was glad that Fumika didn't ask me about myself and Tonari. It would have been awkward. I wouldn't know what to answer.

But man, can she talk. She just kept talking nonstop. She had only taken a few bites of her bento.

"I'm looking for the journalist club," she said as she took a sip of orange juice. "Have you heard of it?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Well, here's the thing. I've promised myself as soon as I join high school, I'm going to write articles and conduct interviews. I owed it to him after all."

"Him?" I asked quizzically but I could see that she's in her own world now.

"It's the best way to meet him and I'm definitely going to get to know him," she said to herself dreamily.

"Who?" I asked again, feeling amused. Do people actually get lost in their head during a conversation? She's really the first.

"I'll dedicate my work for him and make sure that he'll be the most famous player across the region!" she continues.

"Hello?"

"Yuki! I am so excited about our new life ahead in Ryonan," she exclaimed all of a sudden and seems like she's back on earth. "I've been hoping to come to this school for such a long time and my wish came true."

"Why Ryonan?" I asked as I took a bite on my rice ball.

"Alright, let me start from the beginning then," she sets down her chopstick on top of her half-eaten bento. "It started when I was in my first year of middle school. My friend dragged me to the gym, saying that we can meet some guys there."

She goes on, "Guess what was going on there? It was a game of basketball"."

I continued eating my food as I listened intently to her. I'm not surprised since the girls and guys back in Tonari were always coming to the basketball games just to check us out.

"I was never interested in basketball until I saw this player. It was love at first sight. He had just recently transferred to this school and despite a newcomer, he was already the talk of the school. Shiroma Kouichi-sama."

I choked on my food this time. Kou? She likes Kou?

I attempted on hitting my chest to swallow the food as she drifted in her world again.

"Have you seen anything related to the Ryonan basketball team yet? I've been checking the notice board since yesterday to find out when will their meeting be but nothing. I wonder if it'll be held next week instead? But I don't think we'll even have the chance to go especially the first meeting since it should be exclusively for the team members only. I am so excited to finally meet Shiroma-sama again."

This time, I tried to reach for my drink in my bag and she finally realized that there's something wrong with me.

"Hey, are you okay? Here, drink this," she passed her drink to me and I chugged it down till I feel my throat was no longer suffocating.

"Sorry, it went down the wrong pipe," I said in between coughs. "You like Shiroma Kouichi?"

She likes Kou. I mean, Kou's a great guy and girls have been nuts about him for years since I've known him. He's got the looks and athletic build. What's not to like? Something nudged in me. Many girls like Kou, huh?

"Yeah," she asked me with a furrowed brow. "Do you know him?"

"Well-,"

There was a commotion outside of our classroom which made us distracted from the current topic.

Some of the girls from our classroom were running out and Fumika got up to follow them. Curiosity got me too so I walked out of the classroom to check it out.

Standing in the corridor beside Fumika, I noticed there were students everywhere talking excitedly and a particular group that stood up. A few guys hovering on the side and there were a bunch of girls that were actually gawking at them like fangirls.

I was surprised too. What made them stood out was first, they were all very tall. Second, Asato-senpai was there carrying a basketball by his waist. Third, Kou was facing my direction and most importantly, Spiky Hair was with them, with his back towards me.

This figure really resembles the guy from yesterday. Could it really be him? I didn't have the time to react because Fumika was already squealing in excitement when she saw them as she jumped up and down beside me. "Oh my god! It's the basketball team! Yuki! It's the basketball team!"

Apparently, her squeal was so loud that it actually made some of the guys that were almost two feet away from us to turn around except for Spiky Hair who was already walking away from the scene, disappearing into the crowd.

"Yuki-chan!" Asato-senpai said cheerfully at me as he walked towards me, waving his hand with Kou beside him, with a kind smile.

I can feel people staring at me now. Must be wondering what do seniors like them have anything to do with me. Fumika's eyes were glued on Kou with her mouth slightly open. Looks like her dream is about to come true.

"Yo, so how was lunch break? Did you enjoy it?" Asato-senpai asked.

"It was okay," I replied. "What are you guys doing here, Asato-senpai?"

"Informing the freshmen regarding the new recruitment and the first meeting to be held today. We are expecting a genius which I guarantee to be the super ace of our team this year. Right, captain?" he said as he elbowed Kou gently.

Kou is the captain of the basketball team? Wow, that's revealing news.

"Isn't there a better way to inform everyone other than going from class to class, looking for people?" I asked them. The number of people staring at us piled up as the sound of whispers increased.

"There is," he threw the basketball in his hands upwards and caught it with his fingers as it spun steadily. "Why do you think I was holding the basketball?"

"So, you just walk around, spinning the ball and wait for them to come to you?"

"Well, it's the best second plan when the vice-captain forgets to make flyers and stick them on the board as instructed," Kou replies this time as his head tilted towards Asato-senpai.

Fumika held her breath when she heard Kou talked. She really likes him a lot, huh?

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Asato-senpai said frustratingly. "Those guys surrounding us earlier were the guys that were interested in basketball. We met them and convinced them so stop complaining."

I couldn't help but smile at these two. They are such a dual. I like Asato-senpai even though I've just met him. He's really funny and seems like an airheaded person.

I felt a little tug on my shirt and without even looking at her, I knew what Fumika wants me to do.

"By the way, this is my friend, Hibari Fumika," I said as I pushed her to the front gently. Fumika didn't say anything but I can feel her body bubbling with excitement.

"Hi, I'm Asato Shunpei and this guy right here is Shiroma Kouichi. We're both seniors from the basketball team," Asato-senpai said with a flirting smile. "Nice to meet you, Hibari-chan."

"Nice to meet you, Asato-senpai and Shiroma-senpai!" Fumika replied, a little loudly and bowing a little low. I feel happy for her. She was so excited to meet the basketball team and Kou.

Kou flashed her a smile and greeted her, "Nice to meet you, Hibari."

Her body wavered a little. Is she about to faint?

"Shiroma-sama! I am a huge fan of yours. You might not have seen me before but I was also in Wazai like you. You're the reason why I love basketball. I am so, so happy to be able to get to know you," Fumika said excitedly. "Can I get your autograph when I see you next time?"

Something changed in Kou's eyes but he was back to normal instantly. "Sure, Hibari. The next time."

Asato-senpai voiced out, "Hey, do you want mine too? Hibari-chan, since you like basketball so much, you two should come to the basketball meeting after school. It's at the school gym, the building you had your opening ceremony."

"Really? We can?" she asked excitedly as she wrapped her arm around mine. "Then, let's go together after school, Yuki."

I couldn't bring myself to say no to her as she looked into my eyes like one of those puppies, waiting for a treat or a pat. I looked at Kou and he just shrugged.

"Alright," I said, forcing a smile. As long as I'm not on the court, I should be fine.

"Come to think of it, senpais. How do you know Yuki?"

Asato-senpai stepped forward and before he can answer, Kou gripped his shoulder and pushed him aside. "We just happened to be from the same school last time before I transferred to Wazai. Right, Sasaki?"

I stood still, registering his reply and how he had just referred me. Sasaki?

"Wow, Yuki! You were from the same school as Shiroma-sama. You are so lucky," Fumika turned towards me with twinkled eyes. "I didn't know you knew Shiroma-sama and Asato-senpai calls you by your first name."

"Well, uhhh," I stammered, wasn't sure how to answer.

"No," Kou said with an edge in his voice. "I am not that close to Sasaki and Shunpei here just mixed up Sasaki's first name with her last name. He's an idiot after all. Right, Shunpei?"

Kou gave a stern look at Asato-senpai which he awkwardly laughed in response. "Yeah, I am so clueless. I didn't notice that Yuki was actually your first name, Sasaki-chan. I am sorry."

Realization hit me. So that's why Kou was so quiet and never attempted to acknowledge me directly. His expression changed when Fumika said she was a fan. He was trying to protect me. If anyone finds out that I was close to him, they could be taking advantage of me just like last time.

Girls have been approaching me ever since I could've remembered. They wanted to use me to get close to Kou. I couldn't make any friends easily without worrying that they could be using me. Sara was the only true friend to me and also the ex-basketball team members that I could trust.

Just then, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch break. "Well, Sasaki and Hibari. We'll go now. See you later at the gym," Kou said as he dragged Asato-senpai away.

Fumika beamed beside me while my head thought about the basketball meet. I gripped my fist. Kou. Asato-senpai. Fumika. Spiky Hair. He could be at the gym later, right?


	4. Chapter 4

"Tell me, tell me, please," Fumika said as we stood on the higher deck of the gym. We've arrived early and there were only a few of the members that I did not recognized in the court. "Tell me more about Shiroma-sama? Yuki, please. How did you meet him? What was he like in Tonari? Did he have a girlfriend? And how did you know Asato-senpai?"

She has been begging me to tell her everything about Kou ever since we've walked out of the classroom. I've been shrugging off the answer and told her I couldn't remember anything very clearly. I replayed the scenario of her knowing my connection to them a few times, wondering if it's a good idea to let her know the truth. I knew that she would never let me off that easily but Kou must have had a reason for doing this. I can't just call out his bluff now, can I?

A few of the basketball team members entered through the front door. Kou and Asato-senpai were among them. There was also a middle-aged man beside Kou which I'm guessing is the coach of the basketball team. As I felt that Fumika was going to whine again, I decided to use it as my escape.

"Hey, they are about to start," I pointed at them.

Her head turned sharply at them and her eyes twinkled once again. Kou, Asato-senpai and the coach stood at one spot away from everyone else, deep in conversation while glancing at the members from time to time.

I looked at my watch. Another one more minute and the official meeting shall start. There was still no sight of Spiky Hair. Does this mean he's not joining after all? My eyes lingered on the main door, wishing the door will budge.

"Okay, newcomers! Gather in a straight line," Kou's voice echoed loudly throughout the gym as he clapped his hands. "We shall begin the meeting now."

The juniors all lined up and some of them looked very nervous. As my eyes swept through the members below, one of the seniors caught my attention. Tallest among the group, quite big-sized with the soldier hair and thick lips. I couldn't help but giggled a little to myself because he kinds of resembled a gorilla.

The teacher sat on the bench, observing everyone else. He looked kind of disappointed for some kind of reason.

"Welcome to the Ryonan basketball team. My name is Shiroma Kouichi, the captain of the team," he gestured his hand to the teacher and Asato-senpai. "This is our coach, Taoka-sensei and the vice-captain, Asato Shunpei."

Both of them nodded their head as they were being introduced. Kou continues, "We would like to thank you for joining our team and be warned that we'll be working you like hell. After all, we are aiming for the National Championships this year."

His fist shot up in the air while the seniors cheered with him which also made some of the juniors to join in with them too.

"All right, let's not waste any time and begin with an introduction from all of you. Tell us your name, position, and any other kinds of stuff that you would like to share," said Kou and he looked to his left towards one of the juniors at the end of the line. " Let's start with you."

The first junior took a step forward. He doesn't look very tall and has dark hair, parted in the centre. "My name is Hiroaki Koshino. I played shooting guard in junior high and hope that I can polish my three-point shot," he said and took a step back once he was done.

The next person was a guy with thick lips, tan skin colour and curly hair. "Fukuda Kicchou. Power forward," he said with a lazy look. That was brief.

The introduction continued on while my eyes drifted towards the entrance and rested there. I imagined what it would be like for Spiky Hair to walk in this instance.

I have no idea why but I am so curious to see his face ever since I saw the Spiky Hair in the basketball court that day. There's no absolute guarantee that it was the same guy I saw during lunch earlier but it couldn't have been a coincidence that he had the same hair, build and happened to be with Kou when he was recruiting the juniors.

"Alright! That's it with the juniors' introduction," Kou's voice rang through the room. My eyes continued to glue on the entrance as the hope starts to diminish. "These are my advice to you. Get to know your seniors and respect them. Work hard and play hard. Never give up. Do not skip practice. Try to be on time and-"

Suddenly, the door swung open and everyone turned towards the sound. The teacher has already gotten up from his seat and heading towards the door. The first thing I saw was the spiky hair, followed by the leg and the person himself now.

One hand was in his pocket while the other hand waved at everyone. "Hello," he greeted in a voice so smooth that made my heart leaped a little. "Sorry that I am late."

Right then, Takao-sensei stopped in front of him and shouted at him, "Where in the world have you been? You are late! You almost gave me a heart attack! I thought you weren't coming!"

"Sorry, sorry," he said while rubbing the back of his head. "I overslept."

Silence came and everyone stood still, looking at Takao-sensei and Spiky Hair. It felt like a decade with the silence.

"Now, now, Sensei," Asato-senpai walked towards them and put his arm around Spiky Hair. "Cut him some slack. It's still the first week of school so he's hasn't adapted to the time yet."

Takao-sensei let out a sigh as his shoulder relaxed. "Fine, let's continue then."

They walked back to the group and Spiky Hair stood at the end of the juniors' line while Takao-sensei sat down on the bench.

I finally have a better look at him now from this distance. He's good looking with a confident smile. Even with just a simple attire of a white shirt and black shorts, he still stood out the most among the rest. He has a presence that I couldn't quite describe which makes me feel excited.

"Well, latecomer. The rest of the juniors have already introduced themselves. It's your turn now," Kou said.

Spiky Hair stepped forward and spoke out loud. "I am Sendoh Akira. An all-rounder. I just want to enjoy myself in basketball."

Finally. A name. Sendoh Akira. I can see that I wasn't the only one hung up on the name. The others were too but for a different reason as they started to whisper with one another softly.

Fumika that was so quiet earlier finally made a noise. She starts to repeat the name, "Sendoh Akira. Sendoh... Akira..."

"Fumika?"

"I can't believe he enrolled into Ryonan," she mumbled as though her breath was taken away. "Who would have guessed he would be here."

What? He's famous? I nudged Fumika. "You know him?"

She turned her head towards me so fast that it's a wonder that her head didn't fly off. "Him! That guy is Sendoh Akira! He's one of the best players in our year. He was the MVP of the Junior High games last year."

He is? I stared hard at him. If he really was the guy I saw yesterday, his playing form proved it. It was really good and the image flooded into my mind again, replaying the moment that I first saw him.

The whispers intensify but Sendoh just kept smiling until Kou spoke up, "All right, all right. That's the end of the introduction for the juniors. Sendoh, you can ask the juniors what were the advice I've shared earlier. In the meantime, it's time to play."

Some of the juniors become tense and glanced at each other, looking excited and nervous at the same time. Sendoh seems relaxed and has a wide grin on his face.

Kou began pointing at the juniors one by one, counting out loud. "Two... Four... Six... Eight... Only 9 of you so we're still lacking one more player." His eyes swept through the seniors, deciding which player to play with the juniors.

I can understand why he was having a dilemma. Choosing a senior to play with the junior may end up causing the senior to stand out too much as they have the skills and experience gained from the past years.

If he chose the wrong person and that player ends up shadowing the rest of the juniors, the coach and himself won't be able to gauge the juniors' real skills and strengths.

The person he chooses needs to be able to downplay his skills and guide the team through, grasping their skills momentarily and using it well.

The other option is to choose a junior to play with them so they can play evenly since their level of experience is pretty much the same.

Asato-senpai's turned his head upwards, looking into my eyes. I have a bad feeling now, feeling the urge to just run away. My heart beat faster and my hand gripped hard on the metal rail. I gritted my teeth, ready to walk out the instant he's going to do anything stupid.

How did he know? Kou must have told him about it. Damn it.

His hand slowly raised at both me and Fumika. I find myself holding my breath and all uneasy feelings came rushing into me.

Before he can say anything else, I saw Kou grabbing his hand and shaking his head. I let out a breath in relief as Asato-senpai lowered his arm while Kou whispered into his ear and looked at the juniors.

I could feel everyone's eyes were on me now but I dare not look at them. Instead, I focused on my hands resting on the rail, pretending as though I didn't know what had just happened. When I looked up, I met Sendoh's eyes that were observing me as though he was curious about me. I blushed and quickly looked away.

"I'll play with you guys," Kou said and he turned to Taoka-sensei, waiting for his approval. The coach nodded and leaned back on the seat of the bench.

Asato-senpai looked disappointed but he sucked it up. "I'll be the referee then. You have 10 minutes to warm up and we'll start the game."


	5. Chapter 5

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

"You girls ready? It's time to play against Kijo," Mai-san said as she paced around the room nervously. This was her first official game as the captain of the team and even if it's just a practice match, it was still important to her.

The locker room was filled with tension. Nobody dared to speak or talk except for Sara but she wasn't being her usual active self.

Reira-san put her hand on Mai-san's shoulder. "Calm down, captain. You being nervous is just going to make the rest of them worried too. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and breathe out," she urged her. "Breath in. Breath out. In. Out."

Mai-san followed Reira-san's instruction, closed her eyes and slowly, she calmed down. When her eyes opened, they were burning with determination.

"Let's show Kijo how awesome we are!" she said and we cheered.

Everyone stood up and started ranting our school name, "Tonari! Tonari! Tonari!"

"Reira, Yuki, Sara and Kinoe-chan. 5 of us will be the starting team. The rest of you, do not let your guard down because I'll substitute you in as needed," Mai-san said. "Don't think of yourselves as extras because you aren't. You are as important as every one of us."

With that speech, everyone cheered louder and instantly, getting hyped up. I smiled and Sara was already leaping in the air.

"Whoohoo! Let's do it! Let's beat the crap out of Kijo," she shouted excitedly. Only Kinoe remained impassive but I can see that even she was fired up.

With that, we headed out in our game mode. The usual ridiculous us have all become serious-like. The opposing team was standing near the basketball hoop, taking turns to shoot the ball. We strutted towards the court with a vibe so cool and confident that nothing will beat us.

I was proven wrong.

Sara accidentally tripped on a bench's leg as we passed by Kijo's coach. Sara fell flat with her face on the floor. We stopped on track and nobody moved as the gym was filled with silence.

She pushed herself up and stood beside me while she brushed off the dirt stuck to her clothes. Then she gave me a thumbs up and flashed her white teeth. I was the first to laugh out loud and everyone else joined in including the Kijo players and the audiences on the upper deck.

The air doesn't feel as tense and competitive anymore but relaxing and friendly instead. I have to hand it to Sara. She can actually make our opponents to like us even though we were against one another.

We walked towards our bench where our coach, Mizuno-sensei was seated. She's not a very nice person and does not really appear most of the time during our training. She still gets all the glory from our team which is despicable but at least she keeps the team running.

"Play however you girls want but win this game," she said lazily and tilted her head towards me. "Oh, Yuki. See that girl there, the one in Jersey number 12?"

I turned around and scanned the opponents till I found the girl in the yellow Jersey she mentioned. A slim and tall girl with an arrogant look on her face that made me dislike her immediately.

When I faced back to Mizuno-sensei again, she said, "That's the so-called prodigy, Ueda that everyone is fascinating over this year. Defeat her."

I'm not really the competitive type but it's rare for Mizuno-sensei to assign me with who do I keep an eye on so this came as a shock to me that made arched my eyebrow but I nodded in response.

"Well, you got your orders," Mai-san said to the team. "Let's win this game!"

We gathered around her in a circle as we hunched forward and started shouting, "Tonari! Fight! Tonari! Fight!"

As we stepped onto the court, we took our respective places. Mai-san as the center, Reira-san as the shooting guard, Kinoe as a power forward, Sara as the point guard while I'm the small forward.

My eyes lingered on Ueda that didn't even pay any attention to me. Cocky.

Mai-san stood at the center of the court, facing a girl that's taller than her while waiting for the whistle for the tip-off. My adrenaline starts to build up and my body gearing up to move.

_Tweeeet_

The ball flew up in the air and both of the centers jumped up high, hands reaching for the ball. Mai-san was the one that successfully smacked the ball towards Sara and she was fast to receive it.

She quickly ran towards the opponent's hoop while I chased after her to assist. Ueda managed to catch up to me. I had to stop as she blocked me, restricting my movement. She's got skills, I'll give her that.

As soon as Sara got into the inner circle, she passed the ball to Reira-san who was standing at the outer circle and she gripped the ball tightly. She took her stance and jumped to shoot. As the ball left her hand, the opponent reached for the ball and managed to touch the ball a bit.

As the ball flew towards the hoop, it hit the rim and Kinoe who was standing under the hoop with another player, jumped and managed to be the first to grab the ball. I was at the outer line, trying to shake off Ueda but she was persistent.

"Yuki-senpai!" Kinoe shouted at me and I saw the ball flying towards me. I screened Ueda and caught the ball and she instantly stood in front of me, keeping a tight guard on me. I tried to find an opening. It was hard but not doable.

I got into my shooting form and aimed for the hoop. Ueda instantly took the bait as she jumped up high and I quickly bypassed her. She grunted and cursed loud enough for me to hear. I was finally near the hoop and prepared to take my shot with no one guarding me. I shoot and it entered through the hoop.

The team from our bench cheered out loud. When I turned around, Ueda was glaring at me with fury but I was distracted by the team members that raced towards me as we exchanged high fives and ran back towards our base.

Ueda was holding the ball now and strode towards us. As soon as she stepped into our base, I moved to guard her closely. All of a sudden, with a speed so fast, she was passing around me already.

She took her aim and shot but I was quick enough to take a big step forward and jumped behind her and smack the ball aside. The whistle blew as we landed on the floor.

Her face was filled with confusion and shock.

She spoke. "I..."

I turned towards her, waiting for her to continue. "I am going to beat you," she said. There was a different air around her like she has finally met a challenge. Still arrogant but with rage that's more positive.

I couldn't help but smile. She's actually quite a good player with fast reflex but she lacked of experience. In just a few years, she would become one of the best players. I didn't like her at first but now, her determination has won me over.

"I'll take you on anytime," I said as I walked away.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. _

I sat on the floor with my back to the wall and eyes closed, listening to the dribbling sound which took me back to the past. The seniors were having some basic training while the juniors were doing warm-ups outside in the hot weather.

Fumika stood by the railing, observing them. I swear I can actually feel her drooling.

Sendoh Akira. I repeated his name in my head over and over again. I could have just left already since I'm pretty sure Fumika will be fine on her own but I needed to make sure that Sendoh Akira was the guy I saw yesterday in the basketball court. I just needed to see his form once to know for sure, if he was the Spiky Hair.

The entrance door opened and I got up on my feet. The juniors walked in and Sendoh was at the back, trailing alongside with them.

"You guys, get off the court," Kou said as he pointed at the seniors. "Juniors, time to split your team into two. Shunpei, bring the draws here."

Asato-senpai walked from the bench with strips of papers in his fist. He held the papers outward as the juniors form a circle around him. One by one, each of them drew a strip. Sendoh was the last one to make his draw between the two strips. Kou opened his fist to see what was his draw.

I couldn't see what was the exact draw but the team was already splitting into two sides. Sendoh was standing opposite of Kou. Looks like they are opponents.

"Sendoh and Hiroaki, both of you will be the leader of your team. I'll give you three minutes to arrange your members into positions," Asato-senpai instructed them.

Both of the teams gathered respectively and members talked to one another. I'm betting Kou will be saying something like "Treat me like a junior." Sendoh was doing his part well as the leader. From his members' body language, they must be sharing their experience and skills.

Excitement built up within me, curious to see both Kou's and Sendoh's capability. Kou was one of the best players back in Tonari and it's been a while since I've him in action. He must have improved. If Sendoh really was the Spiky Hair from yesterday, this game will be intense.

"Well, shall we start now?" asked Asato-senpai and both of the leaders nodded their heads. "Get into position then."

My eyes were glued onto Kou and Sendoh as they took their place. Both of them stood in the center of the court, facing each other. Are they playing centers?

_Tweeeeeeet_

Asato-senpai threw the ball in the air while the centers leaped up high to reach the ball. Kou was the one that thrived as he hit the ball towards Hiroaki.

Kou ran ahead to catch up to Hiroaki. Just as Hiroaki was about to pass the ball to Kou, Sendoh came into view and stole the ball in between of them.

Sendoh quickly ran for the opposing hoop with his members and Kou close behind him. The silent guy, Fukuda was beside him but Sendoh made no attempt to pass the ball to him. As soon as he is close enough to the ring, he jumps for a shoot. Kou was already in front of him and leaped up, blocking him with his hands.

Right then, Sendoh did something extraordinary. He clutched and switched the ball in his right hand to his left hand. Kou wasn't able to react in time and Sendoh gently threw the ball down the hoop.

Both of them landed on their feet as the ball hits the ground. The gym was filled with silence as everyone stared in awe. Even I couldn't believe my eyes.

Kou had done possibly everything right to stop Sendoh but it just wasn't enough. He was just that good. Only Taoka-sensei remained unfazed with a wide grin on his face.

It was Fumika's loud squeal beside me that made everyone to snap back to normal. The noise generated throughout the room in a piercing way that kind of hurts.

"Oi! Both of you girls there! Get out!" Taoka-sensei shouted at us from below furiously. "It's one thing to let both of you watch but it's another thing to make noise in the room."

I can feel that Fumika was going to retort at the coach. Before she can do anything stupid, I quickly bowed my head in apology and dragged Fumika out of the room who was reluctant to leave.

As the door closes behind us, my mind replayed Sendoh's moment again which left a light sparkling dimly in my heart amidst the darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

The remaining of the school week flew by smoothly. I didn't see anyone from the basketball team since. As for Fumika, she joined the journalist club and has been occupied with the meetings so I spent most of my days after school in bed. I slept a little better with the medication that my mum bought for me.

Sunday morning, I was all dressed up in my sports gears - loose navy blue shirt, black shorts, white Converse shoes and mp3 player tugged in my shorts pocket with earplugs in my ear. It's been a while since I've jogged. I guess I was just too depressed to even leave the house in the first place.

Ever since the match I've seen in the gym, I've been feeling restless and itching to get the adrenaline system out of me. I did a simple warm-up and stretches while enjoying the morning scent and flower fragrance in the porch.

I started off at a high speed but slow down to a pace I feel comfortable with. I took a turn to the Spiky road, passing by a few joggers. The basketball court was ahead of me and excitement built up in me but disappeared as soon as realizing that it was empty. My pace slowed down till I came to a halt at the entrance of the court.

My heart beat at a steadily fast pace so I took a deep breath and let it out to calm myself down. Standing at the entrance of the court, I dare not enter. I practically grew up in the basketball court with Kou but now it's just an unknown ground to me.

"Zettai ni daremo" blared loudly in my ears as I closed my eyes. This song brings me back to the days I trained basketball with my friends. It's our motivational song.

I thought about the warm-ups before the games in Takeishi. It was hard as hell under Mai-san's guidance. She'll make us run 10 laps around the gym and it's only one of the warm-ups. As tough as it was, it was also fun and thrilling to be with everyone.

Memories of when I first started basketball, my first shot and my first game flooded into my mind. My heart is yearning for basketball. A jolt hit my body and my right leg move forward automatically. Then my left. Right. Left.

_Sara..._

I opened my eyes and my right leg was off the ground and about to step over the white lines of the court. It hung there for a second and slowly, my leg withdrew to my side.

I backed away from the court and I was once again outside of the entrance. My head hung low, looking at the ground.

_I can't. I really can't. Sara, I'm so sorry._

Right then, a tap on my shoulder made me jumped and the visuals in my head dissipated. My headphones fell out of my ears as I spun around to see who touched me. It's a wonder I didn't faint on the floor after seeing who it actually was.

"Sorry," his smooth voice enclosed my being. "I didn't mean to scare you. I tried calling you but you didn't answer me so I tapped on your shoulder instead."

It was Sendoh, dressed in black and white again with a ball under his arm.

My eyes widen and I couldn't find any words. I stood there dumbfoundedly while urging myself to say something. Anything to keep the mouth moving instead of hanging open like this. Anything.

"I...uh...fine...doing..here..." I mumbled so softly that even I can't make any sense what I'd just said.

"You okay?" he took a step towards me and gazed at my face.

I nodded, unable to find the courage to respond. I felt heat radiating throughout my body, spreading to my cheek and ears.

He leaned in closer to me and I took a step back, heartbeat beating faster.

I got a closer look at him now. Warm blue eyes that have a tinge of dark blue-colored rims that looks dark brown at the same time. It doesn't seem like his hair was styled spiky on purpose as there was no trace of hair gel. For a guy that plays basketball, he is really fair.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not a bad guy," he held his free hand up defensively. "You looked distressed so I was wondering if you need any help."

I shook my head and he pressed on. "Look, I know that I'm just a stranger but if you need anything, just let me know."

I nodded this time and muttered 'Thanks' which brought a gentle smile to his face.

It's been a while since I've spoken to any guys. Ever since the incident, I've closed my heart to make friends especially guys. If Fumika wasn't so friendly and meeting Kou again, I doubt I'll even have a friend in Ryonan. Probably awkwardly spending my days in school without speaking to a soul, just like in Tonari.

I'm not exactly the friendly type that goes around making friends. Come to think of it, Sara was also the one that made the move of becoming my friend.

"So, what are you doing here?" Sendoh asked curiously and looked around the surrounding, then back at me. "Basketball?"

"Oh... No... I was jogging." Finally. Some words.

"You live around here?"

"Yeah."

"Does that mean you are from Ryonan High?" he asked as he twirled the ball in his hand.

"Yeah."

"I'm from class 1E. What about you?"

"1A."

"Oh, so you're a freshman like me? I don't think I've seen you though. Did you cut class?" he asked teasingly.

"No!" I answered a little too loudly and blushed madly. He laughed at my reaction. What am I doing?

"I'm just joking. I actually felt like I've seen you before but I couldn't remember when," he said. Was he referring to the first day or basketball match?

"Say, ummm," I started. "Were you here on the first day of school in the morning?"

He gave me a puzzled look. "How did you know? Wait... That girl in white was you?"

I nodded shyly.

"I thought I saw a ghost!" he exclaimed. "I didn't dare to come here early in the morning anymore."

My blush deepened. It was him and that's why I stopped seeing him here. "Yeah... I was passing by and saw you playing. I stopped a while to see."

He laughed out loud and gosh, he has a cheerful laugher. "At least that is clear now. I was freaking out. I thought I was seeing things so I continued playing but then the more I think about it, the scarier it became so I stopped and head to school."

I bowed my head apologetically. "I'm so sorry!"

"Nah, no worries. I got some extra sleep. Now, I can start my routine again. Do you normally take this route to school?"

I nodded.

"Well, then we should walk to school together," he pointed behind me and my eyes followed his gesture. It was a white house, nothing special but it has a small garden of flowers. I didn't know what flowers those were but the colours were pretty. There was so much of it and the colours reminded me of rainbow.

"That's my house right there. I usually shoot a few hoops, take a bath and head to school. So, what do you say?" he asked.

"Ummm... Are you sure?"

"Sure. Why not? You take this route. I take this route too. It wouldn't be so boring to walk to school alone. Besides, you seem okay. I like you."

"W-What?" Did he just say he likes me?

He grimaced at my reaction. "Oh, no. I meant like a person. I've seen lots of girls and I couldn't really talk to all of them without them going a little... hyper. You're different."

I relaxed a little. "Oh... But we've just met. How can you be so sure?"

He didn't answer me immediately and thought for a while. "I just feel it. Besides, I'm new to this school and neighbourhood. I could use a friend."

"You're new to this neighbourhood?" I asked.

"Yeah, I stayed in another city but the coach recruited me to Ryonan. I moved here and stay with my grandparents."

"Oh.. Me too."

"Really? That's great! We can explore here together! I was worried I might be bored but hey, looks like I found a friend."

I smiled in response. "Sure."

"It's a promise. I'll wait here for you every morning at the entrance. If I'm not out, just wait outside there, okay?"

"Okay."

"Great. I'm glad I met you here, ummm...," he trailed off. "Your name?"

"Oh, I'm Sasaki Yuki. It's nice to meet you, Sendoh."

He frowned. "How did you know my name?"

"Oh. I was also at the basketball meeting that day too. You introduced yourself."

He sighed in relief and put a hand on his chest. Huh?

"Thank god. I thought you were one of them."

"Them?"

He shook his head. "No one. No worries about that. You were one of the girls that were there. I didn't really see your face so I couldn't recognize you. You were with that loud girl."

This time I laughed softly. "Yeah. She's my classmate and she loves basketball. We managed to get into the gym so there we were."

"Oh, so that's why. I was wondering why there were girls there. At first, I thought you were the manager but when the coach kicked you out, I assumed you were intruders."

"Yeah," I said. "Who won the game, anyway?"

"Well-" he was cut off by a familiar voice behind me.

"Hey, sorry we're late." I turned around. Standing behind me was Kou with widened eyes and Asato-senpai with a smile

"Yuki-chan!" Asato-senpai called me happily with wide arms and took a step forward as though he wanted to hug me.

Kou smacked his hand away immediately and stood between us. "Yuki, what are you doing here?"

"Kou. Asato-senpai." I said. "Why are you here?"

"Wait, you guys know her?" Sendoh asked curiously and stood beside me.

"How do YOU know her?" Kou asked with narrowed eyes.

Asato-senpai face plopped onto Kou's shoulder with his arm draped around him. "Okay, one by one. Yuki-chan, we're here for a basketball game with Sendoh. Sendoh, Yuki-chan is Kouichi's old friend and my new friend. Your turn."

I looked at Sendoh, wondering if he wants to answer. He shrugged so I guess I'll answer.

"I was out for a jog and met him here," I said.

"Oh, that's it?" Kou relaxed a bit. What was he worried about?

"Wow. Sasaki, I'm surprised you know the captain and vice-captain though," Sendoh said. "How long have you known the captain?"

"I'm not sure. Feels long enough," I said.

Kou shook off Asato-senpai and pushed him aside. "12 years."

Wow. That long? I could barely remember it. We were neighbours and practically grew up together. I've lost track when was it that I first met him.

"So you just talk to a stranger out of nowhere?" Kou asked me with a stern face.

"Hey, she saw him in the basketball meeting so technically, he's not a stranger," Asato senpai defended Sendoh

"That doesn't mean she should just talk to a guy randomly on the street. Yuki, you need to be more aware and careful around guys."

I pursed my lips and think of some ways to get out of this. Kou can be a little overprotective sometimes when it comes to me talking to guys.

"Hey, hey. Lay off her. I'm the one that approached her. She looked depressed so I figured she might need some help," Sendoh said.

Oh no. As soon as Kou heard what Sendoh said, he had a worried face. "What do you mean?"

"No. I was just dozing off and thinking of some stuff. I wasn't depressed or anything."

"Really?" Kou has a suspicious tone now.

I nodded my head a bit too eagerly. I need to change the subject now. "You guys are here for a basketball game? I guess I should leave you all to it then."

"Wait, Yuki-chan. You just came. You should play basketball with us." Asato-senpai said. "I heard from Kouichi that you are a good player."

"Yeah, we're short of one person anyway. Uozumi said he's busy," Kou said.

"You play basketball?" Sendoh asked with his eyebrow arched upward. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?

I need to get out of here now. I can't play basketball. I can't even be in court. I need to get out before Kou finds out.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I need to go home to help my mum with some stuff," I reasoned.

"Come on, Yuki. Just a few shots. I want to see your improvement over the years," Kou said and he abruptly held my arm as he dragged me towards the court with the other guys following closely behind us.

It was so sudden that my body didn't react and just followed his pace but as soon I'm entering through the entrance, I stopped on track.

The guys stopped too and Kou looked over his shoulder. My hand was on his, trying to pull his grip away from me.

"Kou, let go. I am really late," I said in a panicked tone as the uneasy feelings boiled in me.

"What is wrong with you? You used to run to the court and there was nothing that can hold you back," he pulled me and my body went forward but I fight the force. Asato-senpai cheered happily behind me.

"I'm serious, Kou. I don't want to. Stop!" My heart was tightening uncomfortably.

"I'm not taking no for an answer. It's been a while since we've played. Let's see your rusty skills," he said in a light tone.

He was too strong and no matter how much I resist, my body is moving forward. As the court became nearer to my view, I couldn't control my emotions anymore.

"Damn it, Kou! I've quitted basketball," I shouted and he stopped moving. My eyes were tearing as the dark feelings seized me.

"What?" he responded and he turned to me. When he saw my eyes, he was shocked. I took advantage of that moment, shook his loosened grip and turned around. Asato-senpai and Sendoh had a worried look when they saw my expression.

I just bow hastily and ran away from them, leaving them behind.


	7. Chapter 7

My mood was down in the dumps. I was on my way to school and walked slowly down the Spiky Road. I wonder if Sendoh will still accompany me to school after what he witnessed yesterday. I regretted that I was unable to contain my emotions and snapped.

As soon as I reached the court, sure enough, it was empty and Sendoh wasn't outside his home. Disappointment sank in me but I remembered him asking me to wait for him if he hasn't come out yet. I looked at my watch. There's still time before school starts and it isn't that late yet.

I leaned onto a tall pole outside his house and waited. I have a better glimpse of the flowers now. There were various types and so many colours – red, orange, white, yellow, purple and my eyes stopped at a particular one. Unlike the others, this one was simple in shape and blue in colour. I wondered what flower that could be. Maybe I can ask Sendoh, provided we're ever going to have the chance to talk.

10 minutes passed and still no one. I was right. Of course, no one will ever want to talk to the weird girl that freaked out over not wanting to play basketball. I decided to just head over to the school.

A few steps away from the house and a loud this behind me caught my attention. I glanced over my shoulder and a figure emerged onto the street. It was Sendoh. He glanced at the direction that I had just walked down from then at the basketball court and finally towards my direction. When he saw me, he actually looked relief.

He broke into a friendly smile when our eyes met. He jogged lightly towards me in his white school shirt with the first two buttons unbuttoned revealing a faded white shirt underneath. His dark green pants made me noticed how long his legs were and the bag draped over his shoulder was jolting with every step he took.

"Sasaki, good morning!" he said in a bright tone. "Sorry I was late. I lost track of time today on the court."

"S-Sendoh, g-good morning," I stammered with a slight bow. "I thought you left for school already."

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Why would I do that? We had a deal, didn't we?"

"Yeah, but…"

"You think I might have walked away because of what happened yesterday?"

I looked into his eyes and nodded.

He shrugged. "Was I the reason that you were in tears and ran off?"

I pursed my lips and shook my head.

"Exactly. It wasn't me," he said and patted his hand on my shoulder. "Come on, let's go to school."

We fell into steps in silence. I glanced sideways at him and realized once again how tall he is and the muscle in his arm was tight. He noticed my glance and ruffled his hair.

"Is there something on me?" he asked.

"N-No. I'm sorry. I just realized how tall you are," I stammered. Yuki, you idiot. Stop making things even more uncomfortable.

"Well, I am a guy and I think all those jumping around for years actually helped too," he grinned and I laughed softly.

"Finally, a genuine laugh," he said and I blushed. His face turned concern suddenly and look ahead. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, thank you," I responded then it was silence again. It's not like it's uncomfortable to just walk together and not talk. I didn't know why but Sendoh made me have the urge to talk which was something that hasn't happen in a long time. I was so used to being alone that I didn't realised that I actually enjoy other's companies.

Searching for courage in me, I said, "Listen, about yesterday, I am sorry for the way I acted. I hope I didn't ruin the game."

He paused for a moment as though he was weighing if he should tell me what was on his mind. "I'm not going to lie to you, Sasaki, but we didn't play basketball in the end. Shiroma-senpai was in no mood so we talked a little and he just left. Then, Asato-senpai and I went home too."

I did mess up their game after all and guilt built up in me. I don't think I've acted that way towards Kou before. We were always laughing in tears and never for anything else. I have never screamed like that before too. He must have been shocked.

"Was he mad?" I asked softly.

"No, he's sad because well, he made you cry but he was not mad. Besides, the way I see it, it wasn't your fault," he said in a light tone. "You just weren't in the mood for basketball with good reason."

"No, I was still wrong. He… He was just being his usual self."

His tone turned serious. "Hey, did you really quit basketball? If you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to talk about it. It's just what Shiroma-senpai said got to me. He told us that you were a talented basketball player and was already in the starting team in the first year of middle school. He told us how much you loved basketball and lived for it."

For some kind of reason, I didn't feel the darkness coiled around me that normally occurs whenever someone asked me about this. I feel I can be honest with Sendoh.

"I did quit basketball. In the third year of middle school."

"Do you still like basketball?" he asked slowly.

I thought about it for a while and gave the answer that popped into my mind. "I'm not sure. Not anymore."

"Anymore?" His eyebrow arched.

"I thought that after I quit basketball, it would have been out of my life and I might hate it. I went through those days feeling basketball was nothing to me but after I came to Ryonan, everything changed. Ever since I…," I stopped myself and blushed.

"You...?"

Reluctantly, I blurted, "Ever since I saw you on the first day of school and the practice match. Y-Your form was so elegant and inspiring."

He rummaged his hair and laughed awkwardly. "Okay, thank you, I guess? That's the first time I've heard anyone said that about me."

"It's true though. The jump, receives and shots. It was flawless. It made me feel… I don't know… yearn for basketball again."

"Then, what was with the reaction yesterday? The fear in your voice when Shiroma-senpai dragged you to the court."

"When I…," I trailed off. It was the first time I've been this far into sharing about my problem with other people except for the ex-counselor. But I feel as though Sendoh might understand and my heart was light. "When I am on the court, I have these uneasy feelings and images from middle school rushing into me."

"Does it have something to do with why you stopped basketball?"

I nodded and chewed my lips.

He continued, "I am assuming you are not ready to talk about it yet?"

"No," I answered and looked on the ground.

"Not even with Shiroma-senpai?"

"Especially not him," I answered automatically. The answer was just there, at the edge of my mouth.

"You sure? He was really worried. Although I've just known him, I get the feeling that he's a nice guy and cares about you a lot. Maybe he can help you with whatever is going on."

"He might walk away if he knows the truth."

"Why?"

I slowed down and came to a stop in front of a house which was a few blocks away from Ryonan. Sendoh glanced back at me and waited for my reply as he stood a little away from me.

"It's just that, we've lost contacts for a long time so I'm worried. What if he can't accept whatever I was going to tell him," I said as my eyes teared a little, feeling the loneliness again. "I… just don't want to lose another friend. Everyone walked away and what if Kou does too?"

"If that's the case, I'll be your friend. If he can't accept it, I'll accept it," he said with a determined tone. I looked up at him in shock.

"W-What? Why?"

He looked away a moment before facing me. "I don't know. It's your face, I guess. I get the feeling like you're in need of help but you don't know who to turn to. Besides, Ji-. I mean, you remind me of my dog, Jirou-chan that has lost its way and I can't stand idly by without helping."

Warmth swelled up in me and I chuckled a little as the tears started to well up in my eyes and I tried to refrain myself from crying. "You're saying that you treat me like your dog?" I said, choking a few words.

He burst out laughing with me then turned serious.

"Okay, you don't have to say anything yet. If you ever feel like you need a talk, just holler. Got it? I'll be here to lend you an ear. In the meantime, I'll wait for you," Sendoh said with a wink.

Heat radiated spread through my cheeks. I don't think I've encountered any guys that were genuine with me before like Sendoh except for Kou, maybe. However, Kou is more like a brother figure to me but Sendoh is… I couldn't place the term for him.

"Thank you, Sendoh," I bowed gratefully at him as he began to walk again.

He whirled around suddenly and his hand was up in the air. His fist came down and knocked me gently on my head, like how Mai-san used to do to me.

I looked up at him in confusion and touched the spot he knocked earlier. Confusingly, only one word escaped my mouth. "W-What?"

"You are too polite towards me and I don't like it," he said with a wide grin as he looked down at me. "We are practically the same age. Can't you behave a little more natural with me?"

I bit my lips and thought about it. "It's just your height makes you look older."

"You take that back," he said, faking an offended tone. "Height has nothing to do with my age. It doesn't make me older."

This time, he flicked his finger at my forehead and I howled in pain.

"Hey!" I rubbed my forehead in shock. "What was that for?"

"For calling me old. Look properly at my face," his face neared mine and my body shrunk away. "Take a good look at my face. It's still a youthful face. Every time you act polite around me or said things that I perceived hurtful, I'm going to punish you."

I giggled at that remark and immediately, his hand was in the air. I closed my eyes instinctively, bracing for his next attack. Instead, his hand laid on top of my head and gently ruffling my head.

"That's a good girl. You should laugh more," he said and I could feel my face burned with embarrassment. He's definitely treating me like a dog.

Right then, a few students were passing by us and staring. Sendoh's back was facing them so he hadn't realised it.

"Ummm, Sendoh…," I made a motion to look behind and he turned around. He retracted his hand immediately.

"Sorry," he muttered softly. There were still some people looking at us curiously and we quickly made our way to the school, walking side by side.

We entered through the school gate and I took in the surrounding. Similar to how it was every day, students were everywhere. We walked ahead and before long, the windows of my classroom which were on the second floor came into view.

Suddenly, a tall figure stepped out from a pillar nearby and stopped in front of us.

Both Sendoh and I were able to stop ourselves in time before running into him.

It was Kou and his eyes looked stern.

"Kou?" I called his name astonishingly.

"Both of you together again? What is going on?" he demanded. Asato-senpai also appeared behind him but unlike his previous happy-go-lucky manner, his face was serious.

"We need to talk," Kou continued in a gloomy tone. "Come on."

I hesitated and his hand reached for me but I flinched away. Sendoh instantly stepped defensively in front of me and Kou regarded him with hostility.

"Senpai, Sasaki and I should head to class now. Don't let us freshmen get into trouble," he said in a light tone then softly. "Everyone is staring. Do you want to get her into trouble?"

"None of your business. Move," he warned Sendoh.

"Shiroma-senpai, I know both of you are close but Sasaki isn't ready to talk about it yet. Why not give her a little more time?"

"Stay out of this, Sendoh," Kou snapped and he took a step forward as though he was challenging Sendoh. "You have nothing to do with this."

Sendoh remained impassive and looked straight into Kou's face. I recognized Kou's expression as he trembled in anger. It was the same look he had when I was teased by a few guys back in junior high. He ended up getting into a fight with them. I looked around and a few students had already gathered nearby, whispering at us.

I have to stop Kou before he does something stupid that ends up ruining his reputation. I stepped out from behind Sendoh's back and stood beside him.

"Kou, stop it," I said.

He glanced sideways at me. "I need to talk to you."

"Kou… I..." I couldn't find the right words.

"Yuki, you need to talk to me and stop keeping me in the dark. Aren't we friends?" his voice was strained and right then, I felt guilty. "Can't you at least give me a chance to apologize?"

His eyes were filled with sadness and the guilt deepens. I should at least… try, shouldn't I?

"After school," I muttered.

Sendoh tensed beside me and Kou became calmer. "Promise?"

I nodded hesitantly but Kou was already back to his usual self with the warm smile that I always found comfort in.

"Great! Then let's meet up at the gym. After organizing the team members, I'll go up to the upper deck to meet you. How about it?" Kou asked.

"Yeah, it's fine," I said, feeling weak.

"If that's the case, I want to join too," Sendoh said suddenly and we stared at him in shock. He looked down at me. "Is that okay, Sasaki?"

My mouth gaped open and I have no idea how many times my eyes have blinked in confusion. Despite that, a part of me felt relief and calmer, knowing he will be with me.

"You sure?" I managed to blurt out.

He gave me a thumbs up and a smile formed on my lips.

"Thank you," I said with appreciation. Then I turned towards Kou, "At the gym after school."

He was about to retort something but Asato-senpai's hand was already gripping Kou's shoulder.

"Hey, Kouichi. It's time that we should go to class. The bell is about to ring," Asato-senpai said seriously. Kou regarded him and nodded.

"See you later, Yuki," Kou said and he walked away with Asato-senpai.

"You sure you can do it, Sasaki?" Sendoh asked as soon as we were alone.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I guess we'll find out later."


	8. Chapter 8

Once again, I sat on the same spot of the upper deck like I did during the first meeting. I came here immediately after class and tried to avoid Fumika because I was afraid that she would follow me. The basketball team was already on the court with Kou's voice ringing across the hall, arranging their training.

I've been wondering, what was the real reason that I couldn't face Kou? How did I came to the conclusion that Kou wouldn't be able to understand my situation? Why do I feel more comfortable, confiding in Sendoh, a person that I had just met over Kou, my childhood friend that I had known for years?

It was like there was a trigger in me preventing Kou from knowing the truth. In the past, Kou had always been the first person that I ran to whenever I need someone to talk to. He never judges, he never mocks and most importantly, he never walks away. So why? Why am I avoiding him? Why am I keeping him in the dark?

I closed my eyes and leaned on the wall behind me and try to refresh when did I initially come to the conclusion that I couldn't confide in Kou. Was it when he went to Tonari Junior High? Was it when he left and came to Kanagawa? Or was it when I met him here, in Ryonan on the first day?

No, those weren't the moments. There's something missing in between. What was it? I have a feeling that it was right before I came to Ryonan. When? My head started to throb in pain. Damn, must be from my lack of sleep. The medication wasn't as effective as the one prescribed by my ex-counsellor.

Wait. My ex-counsellor. What was her name again? It has only been a few months since I last seen her. How could I have forget her name already? I delved deeper into my mind and try to remember her name. No, I can't remember. I went to her session a few times after the incident. I didn't like to talk to her at first but slowly, I opened up to her.

She had such a soothing voice filled with kindness and gentleness. Her long, reddish-brown hair made me feel warm, reminding me of the fallen leaves in autumn. I always felt she can see through me with her dark-brown eyes behind the frame of the spectacles. Her lean figure was always hidden in that white long coat of hers.

She had these orchid-colored wing chairs that felt so soft and had a nice touch. An oak table was in between of the chairs, separating the both of us. The small, white room was decorated with landscape paintings. I liked the one with the bird flying towards the sun at dusk. I always sat opposite of her by the window which had sunlight shining through, giving a brighter atmosphere into the small room.

But it wasn't always shining with sunlight. There was once when it was raining heavily. I was slightly wet from the rain when I came to the room and shivered a little when I sat on the couch. She gave me a cup of warm water which I held in my hand.

"Welcome back, Sasaki. How are you feeling today?" she asked.

"The same," I replied weakly. I was still feeling distant from her. I didn't trust her.

"Do you remember what have we talked about during our last session?" she asked. It was the third session today. I can barely remember what we talked during the first two sessions.

"No."

She shifted in her chair and leaned forward as she looked into my eyes. "We said that for today's session, you will tell me more."

I kept quiet and looked away. A thunder stroke in the back made my heart beat faster and increasingly uncomfortable.

"Do you want to talk about the incident?" she asked with a caring tone.

"No."

"Did you listen to my advice and talk to anyone about this?"

"No."

"Your parents?"

"I don't feel comfortable talking to them."

"Friends at school?"

"Don't have any."

"How about your team members?"

I paused. "No."

"Sasaki, you need to talk to someone, okay? Is there anyone that you trust?"

I paused again. Slowly, Kou's face appeared in my head. "There was."

"What do you mean by 'was'?"

"He… He left."

"Who was it?"

"A guy. He was my best friend since young."

Thinking about Kou stirred some feelings in me. It made me feel comfortable talking about him. Something refreshing, clearing my mind a little. I missed him.

"You don't see him anymore?" she asked.

I shook my head. "He was just... gone. His house burned down and he left."

"Would you talk to him if you see him?"

I bit my lips and thought about it. Yes, I might. He would understand, wouldn't he? He has always been there with me. Despite me and him being apart, I know I can trust him. He can make all this better. He can. He definitely can.

A thunder stroke again in the back, illuminating the room.

Suddenly, I thought of Sara. I remembered what she said. What she mentioned. The secret she shared with me.

Then, I felt like drowning. Panic sunk in me. Darkness coiling, grasping my throat. I can't breathe. My body trembled in fear. Water spilled from the cup I was holding and splashed onto the floor.

"Sasaki, calm-," her voice was drowned into muffled voices.

I felt a presence in front of me, kneeling down and holding my trembling hands. Tears spilled down my face and uncontrollably, I muttered 'No' over and over again.

"Sasaki! Listen to me!"

"NO!"

I felt a pair of hand nudging me and I snapped out of the illusion and unconsciously I screamed out 'Murai-sensei'.

A concerned faced appeared in front of me. It was Kou with his hand grasping my shoulders and nudging me. My body felt hot and sweat formed on my forehead.

"Yuki! What's wrong?" His voice was shaking. Tears streamed down my face. I pushed him and I scurried away from him on the floor. He was down on his knees and Sendoh was standing right behind him, with the same concerned look.

"N-No," I choked between the words and I couldn't control my tears. I scuffled and tried to stand upright but I fell down on my bottoms. Kou and Sendoh ran forward and tried to grab me but my hands were up defensively, gesturing them to stay away from me. I clutched the railing beside me for support and got up again. This time I was successful.

I came out of the gym and it was raining, just like that day. Luckily, there wasn't anyone around and I ran hard into the heavy rain. My feet landed on the mud and I kept running, trying to remove all those images in my head.

I needed to clear my head. I needed to collect myself before facing Kou. I just need a few minutes to myself.

I wasn't sure where I was heading but I remembered I ran across the field and then through the trees and plants and then I saw a path leading to a gazebo with red roof and wooden pillars. There was wooden table and two benches, enough for four people to sit on. I dashed for the gazebo to seek for shelter and sat on one of the benches.

I tried to catch my breath and shivered in cold. I got my legs up on the bench and wrapped my hands around them for warmth. Then, I stuffed my face on my legs to control my crying.

I remembered. I finally remembered. The memory was hidden away back in my head for months. That was why I had a reflex to stay away from Kou. I didn't even know why I told Sendoh this morning that Kou wouldn't be able to handle it and forgive me. Now I know. I knew it deep in my heart.

I heard running footsteps and people shouting for me.

"Yuki!" A voice.

"Sasaki!" Another voice.

I didn't dare to bring my head up. I didn't dare to call back to them. I didn't even know what to do.

Then the footsteps slowed down amidst the pouring rain and they were approaching me.

"Hey, Sasaki. Are you okay?" It was Sendoh.

I shook my head while still hanging my head low on my legs. I felt embarrassed to look up because I knew my eyes and nose would have been red right now. It must be very ugly.

"Yuki?" Kou called out to me like I was a wild animal in fear. His hand gently touched mine but immediately withdraw it again. He must be kneeling in front of me. "Yu, what's wrong?"

My emotion reacted to that name. It has been years since he last called out to me using the shortened form of my name. He only uses it when he's serious. God, what am I doing to Kou? His voice was filled with so much worries and pain that ached my heart badly.

He continued, "Yu, please. Let me know you're okay. You don't want to see me and I get it. I'll walk away but please, tell me you're okay."

I wanted to response but the words were caught in my throat and I couldn't utter a word. I forced myself to say something but it wasn't working.

Kou said something to Sendoh softly that I couldn't quite catch and there was silence for a while and I heard shuffling sound and a step on the wooden floor.

"W-Wait," I cried with all my might. Finally. I just need to cool down and control my emotion now. "Kou, wait."

I knew my voice was muffled and the rain wasn't making it better. So, I wasn't sure if they heard me. Luckily, the footsteps stopped meaning that Kou was still here.

I needed to talk to Kou about this. It wasn't fair the way I was treating him. He has to at least know the main reason why I was distancing myself away from him. He doesn't deserve all this suffer. If he ends up hating me, so be it. He needs to know the truth. He needs to.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand before mustering up my courage and looked up to the two tall figures in front of me. I blinked my eyes to have a better look at my surrounding. Kou was standing just in front of me and Sendoh was far back behind him. Both of them were damped from the rain.

"Kou, I am-, I am-," I was still choking in tears. "I am so sorry."

Kou sat down beside me immediately and looked into my eyes. "Hey, hey. It's okay. It's okay. It's my fault too. I pushed you too far. I am sorry."

"I- I- I-," I tried to speak but it was so hard to talk when I'm crying.

"It's okay. Slow down. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

His hands reached behind me and he patted my back, comforting me. I felt a little better. I took a deep breath and breathe out like how Reira-san taught Mai-san in the past.

"K-Kou."

"Yes? I'm right here, Yu." He shifted in his seat, retrieved his hand and I could see he felt relieved.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you at all."

"No, that wasn't your fault. It was mine. I guessed we have grown apart over the years I've left. I acted as though nothing happened but the truth stands. You're mad at me for leaving and never even said goodbye to you. I should have at least gone back-"

I stopped him right then. "That's not it, Kou. That's not it. I've never hated you for that."

"Is it because of the way I acted yesterday then? I know I can be overprotective at times. I didn't mean to be aggressive with you or Sendoh. Seeing you with him just got me worried. You know how you were with guys."

"It's not because of that too. I know your kindness, Kou. You haven't changed at all," I couldn't help but let out a stifled laugh.

His face turned serious. "You did, didn't you, Yu? You used to be so happy and full of life. Just what happened to you? When I saw you crying, you have no idea how I felt. And the worst part was I am the reason that you're crying. What did I do, Yu? Let me make it right."

Again, I couldn't sat anything. I wanted to tell him but the words are once again caught in my throat. Kou felt it too and his eyes became gentle.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I'm fine with it. I just want you to stop running away from me. Yu, you need to understand. We've been so close since we were young. We shared everything with each other and we have always been together. The hardest part leaving Aichi for me was not being able to see you again. When I saw you that day, you have no idea how happy I was. So, please, don't let me lose you again."

As I looked into his eyes, I knew that it's time. This is it. He needed to know the truth. Even if he walks away, I'm fine with it.

"There's something you need to know," I said as I glanced over to Sendoh who was just observing in silence before turning back to Kou.

"Okay, tell me."

I braced myself for his reaction. I wasn't sure what he would do but I owed him.

"Do you remember Sara?"

His eyes widen in recognition. "Y-Yeah, the girl that you were really close to, right?"

"Kou," I paused. This will be the third time I've said this. First to my parents, second to Murai-sensei.

He just nodded his head but his eyes were in anticipation on what I was about to say.

"Sara has passed away."

"W-What?" His eyes were filled with horror and shock.

"And I'm the reason she's dead."


	9. Chapter 9

Thump Thump Thump

My eyes were locked onto the ball, hitting the floor up and down in the hand of my opponent, Ishikuma Suzume. The ace of Norima High which Mai-san had warned repeatedly throughout the whole regional game. She was sweating and panting hard with another minute left on the clock.

A formidable player with pure talent and skills. What's more, she has the experience too. She's the same age as both Mai-san and Reira-san. Among the players I've played against, she's my most favourite opponent. I liked and respected her because she's not like any players I've met before. We've chatted before back when I was still a freshman and she was really nice. She gave me some tips and pointed out my weaknesses after I lost to her instead of laughing in my face.

I was in charge of guarding her and it was hard to get past her. Luckily, the rest of the team members weren't slacking so I could fully put my concentration into dealing with her. Her eyes shifted away from me and focused on the surrounding, searching for an opening. I can't say that I'm a good defendant like Mai-san or Kinoe but it's enough to hold her off.

Every step Ishikuma-san took and wherever she tried to go, I follow suit. She frowned but has never given up on bypassing me no matter how clinging I was. Her gameplay was close to perfect but I've grown a little from last year and managed to keep up with her this time.

She knew she was not able to go anywhere with this so she had to turn to her members instead of going against me. She passed the ball to her fellow member to the left whom was guarded by Reira-san.

The player attempted a three-point shot but Reira-san was quick to react and jumped high to touch the ball slightly which was good enough to set the ball on discourse. The ball hit the side of the hoop and flew up high.

Mai-san and Kinoe jumped up from under the hoop with the other defendants. Mai-san thrived when she got hold of the ball and landed on her feet. She scanned through the room and threw the ball at Sara.

Sara dribbled her way to the opposite side and everyone else chased after her. I was right behind her, ready to assist but Sara passed the ball to Kinoe who was on the other side.

Kinoe prepared to receive the ball but her defendant was fast enough and intercepted Kinoe.

The defendant hit the ball aside but luckily, Mai-san was close enough to catch the ball. Without any delays, she threw the ball at Sara who was already prepared to grab the ball and she caught it firmly in her hands.

This time, Sara's and my eyes met. She did a fake to her left to throw off her defendant and it worked. She threw the ball at me swiftly and the ball came flying towards my direction. I overcame Ishikuma-san and stood in front of her to receive the ball in my hands.

I quickly run towards the hoop, followed closely by Ishikuma-san behind me. One of the opponents caught up to me and tried to block me but I managed to manoeuvre around her and continued for the hoop.

I took a leap. Suddenly, Ishikuma-san was jumping in front of me and her hand reached out to block me but I had anticipated this. My body faded away from her as I shoot and she wasn't able to reach the ball. It hit the board and rebound into the hoop, falling through smoothly.

Tweeeet

That was the end of the game. Running short on breath, I glanced over to the score board.

78 to 74.

We won in the end and the stadium was filled with cheers from my teammates and people from Tonari. Ishikuma-san sat at the corner of the court, in daze. I approached her and extended my hand, offering to help her up. She accepted it and stood up before shaking my hand firmly.

"Good game," she said lightheartedly. "Just as expected from the Scoring Ace of Mirakku."

"It wasn't me. It was all my teammates, Ishikuma-san. Actually, you were great. I could barely keep up with you."

"So humble of you, Sasaki. Unlike that arrogant girl from Kijo, you're different. Too bad I can't get into finals. Tonari better win the finals now that my team has lost," she grinned as she let go of my hand. "You've improved so much. No doubt that you could be in the running for MVP slot."

"I don't think that'll ever happen. Did you forget about Yamaji from Pekori?"

Yamaji Rizuno. Also, the same age Ishikuma-san and the best player of Junior high. So far, I've heard, she's unbeatable in the region of Aichi. We haven't officially met yet but I've seen her play. Her gameplay was flawless and perfect. Her school was the champion last year with her bringing the team to victory.

"I'm sure you can do it. Be more confident of yourself. I'm actually excited to see both of your match off on the court."

"I'll try my best," I said.

"Hey, Yuki! Come on!" Sara shouted at me with the rest of the team members by her side, hopping excitedly. "It's time for our celebratory hug!"

I turned to Ishikuma-san. "Go, I'll see you at the finals. I'm cheering for you, Sasaki."

I bowed in honour to her, knowing I won't be able to face her in the Junior high anymore. "Thank you for everything, Ishikuma-san. I'll see you in the high school regional games, 2 year from now."

"Now, that's a good resolution. It's a promise," she chuckled and we high fived before I ran off to my teammate.

"You're late!" Mai-san said as soon as I approached them. "Down on five."

"Make it ten for keeping us senpais wait," Reira-san added.

My mouth widened in fear. "Oh, senpai. I'm sorry. I was just-"

"Hey, hey. Come on, let's just hug first and then you can decide the punishment for Yuki," Sara intercepted. "We need to hug now before the excitement runs off."

"Gee, thanks, Sara," I said sarcastically. "Thanks for being the friend that tries to get the best friend into punishment."

"It's your fault for running off somewhere," Sara stuck out her tongue playfully. All of the team members of Tonari then huddled in a circle, our arms around each other. I was standing between Sara and Reira-san. Mai-san put her arm around the annoyed-looking Kinoe and then pulled Kinoe to her side.

"Do we have to do this every time? It's embarrassing as hell," Kinoe said gloomily

"Well, it's the ritual of Tonari girls' team, introduced by our very own captain," Reira-san said. "We mustn't break it."

"Enough talk. Come on, Kinoe-chan," Mai-san said as she pulled her tighter in the circle. Her voice turned deep and shouted.

"Tonari!"

"Victory!" we shouted after Mai-san.

"Tonari!"

"Victory!"

"TONARI!"

"VICTORY!"

As soon as we were done, our hands returned to our side and stood still before we applauded loudly to everyone's effort in the team.

Still remaining in circle, Mai-san took a step forward. "All right, everyone. Good game today. You know what this win means, right? This is it. Our last game is one week from now against Pekori. So, let's rest up for today and we'll begin an intensive training starting tomorrow. Got it?!"

"YES!" our shout rang through the hall. The members of Norima were observing us in silence, looking a little down. I caught Ishikuma-san's eyes and we smiled in determination with one another.

We left the building shortly after that. Sara and I turned towards the opposite direction after saying our goodbyes to our teammates.

"Hey, hey, Yuki. Let's go grab some food before we go back home, okay?" Sara asked as we walked down a street.

"Sure, what should we-?" I trailed off as I registered the answer. "Like I need to ask. It's there, isn't it?"

She nodded in excitement and her arm wrapped around mine. My blue duffel bag slipped slightly from my shoulder when she grabbed my arm suddenly so I used my left hand to adjust the strap to a steady position.

We talked about the games and school on our way until we reach the Rushini general store. It was a pretty run down, grey and small store, sitting in between of a ramen restaurant and cake store. Sara ran in enthusiastically into the general store while I followed her lazily. She went straight to the ice cream freezer located at the back of the store.

I waited at the front and soon, she skipped happily towards me with two green plastic-wrapped ice-creams in her hand. She laid it on the counter and the middle-aged lady behind it smiled kindly at us.

"Here again, aren't you? The usual?"

Sara nodded cheerfully. "The usual."

She paid for them and handed one of the ice-creams to me as we walked out the store.

We head straight to a green hill nearby which was overlooking a small lake. We sat down on the soft grass and dropped our duffel bags onto the ground. The sun was setting down and the cloud was coloured in orange which was breath-taking. I had seen this scene a lot of times but I will never get tired of it.

We unwrapped the ice-cream and took a bite out of it. The ice-cream was lime-flavoured ice with soft vanilla fillings in between. It melted in my mouth and I swallowed it satisfyingly. The cold of the ice cream was welcoming especially after a game.

"Are you ever going to tell me why you like to eat here?" I asked her in between bites.

"Hmmm... Maybe," she said.

"Really?" I was surprised. For years, we've been eating this ice cream which she had named it as 'Sara no Remedy'. She claimed this area to be her spot and I've asked about her obsession towards the ice cream and this hill for thousands of times. Of course, I've always received 'no' as the answer because she said it was her secret. I guess even best friends keep stuffs from each other

So when she actually said 'maybe', it completely threw me off guard.

I was super curious now. "What's the sudden change of heart?"

She grinned at me widely and her arm wrapped tightly around my free arm again. "Because I'm in such a good mood. Yuki! We actually enter the finals! Can you believe that? And you're the reason we got there! I'm so proud of you, my bestie!"

"Again, it wasn't me, Sara. It was everyone. You, Mai-san, Reira-san, Kinoe and the rest of the teammates."

"Yuki, you need to take the credits for what you've done for the team, you know?" she said and she leaned on my shoulder. Momentarily, I could feel her relaxing. "But, Yuki. Really? Did I do well today?"

"You were awesome. Sara, you're one of the best point guards in Aichi, you know that? Our coach has never mention it because you know how she is but Mai-san and Reira-san constantly praised you. Well, they didn't say it in front of you because they were worried you will become too full of yourself."

"Hey! Not cool," she pouted which was cute but her eyes turned serious in a split of a second. "I am so glad that I could be of help to the team. When I first joined basketball, I wasn't even sure if I was good enough but luckily you and the rest of the basketball teammates were there. You guys gave me the courage and motivation to go for what I want. Everyone were so nice especially when I first joined. I didn't have the skill but they were so patient and willing to guide me. Especially you, Yuki. You were the main reason that I got to play basketball."

I nudged her gently with my arm. "What's with you all of a sudden? You're freaking me out."

"I'm trying to be real with you, Yuki," she narrowed her eyes and released her hold on me then sat upright as she looked straight to the sky.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry," I apologized. "Please continue."

She took another bite of her ice cream and said, "Yuki, I never have a real purpose my whole life. Today, I realized my goal. You want to guess what that is?"

"Get fatter?" I said jokingly.

She ignored my comment and said, "To be one of the best point guards in Japan."

I was speechless right then. I've known Sara ever since I could remember and she rarely exhibits any sign of seriousness. So I was really taken aback but at the same time I was proud. "Wow, really? I'm sure you can do it, Sara."

And I meant it. She worked as hard as everyone in the team, maybe even harder to reach where she is today.

"Hey, what about you?" she asked.

"Me? I don't know."

"What? You're like one of the top players and you don't have any goals? Seriously?"

I pondered about it for a while. "Not really. I've never put much thought into it."

Then she regarded me seriously. "Yuki, you should really think about this. With a definite purpose in front of you, I am sure can reach really high. Maybe I'll see you playing in the Olympics in the future. Besides, you are going to be the captain next year that will be leading us. I'm so excited for you!"

"That's not true, Sara," I said with an awkward laugh. Okay, that idea of me being the captain was stuck in my head for a while. People were already assuming that I was going to be the leader and honestly, it felt good.

"Come on, you're liking it, aren't you, Yuki?" she said and bumped my shoulder with hers teasingly.

I bit my ice cream to avoid answering her but I was sure she knew the answer because we were so close that she knew exactly what I truly want even though I was denying it. But I wasn't lying when I said I have no goals.

"Hey, hey, hey," I said. "Why are we even talking about this. Didn't you say you were going to tell me about this place and your so-called remedy?"

"Oh yeah," she said with giddiness then her eyes turned longing momentarily. "I found my first love here."

I chocked on my ice-cream but luckily, the ice-cream melted itself down my throat. "Wait, what? You've dated before and you're just telling me NOW?"

She laughed out loud. "That was three years ago. We didn't date but it was one of the best moments I had in my life. He was such a sweet guy. He found me crying one day, right here, with the sun setting like right now."

"Why were you crying?" I asked curiously.

"That doesn't matter," she shrugged it off. "Most importantly, he saw me crying here then he approached me. He tried to comfort me but I didn't stop crying so he ran into the store and bought this remedy that we are eating now. I stopped immediately when I bit on it so that's how this place and this ice-cream had become so memorable to me."

"Then, what happened?"

"We spent lots of time together after school here almost everyday. Eating our remedy, enjoying the view and talking about our lives on this hill. Slowly, I fell in love with him. So finally one day, I mustered up my courage and confessed to him," she was cheerful at first but slowly, her tone became sadder. "I was all ready to have a boyfriend but guess what? He rejected me."

"Wow, hard to believe that anyone would actually reject you though. He must have been an idiot to not accept you, Sara."

Sara had a lot of fanboys and there had been a few guys that had confessed to her. She was the one that did all the rejecting, never the other way around. Come to think of it, she had never dated anyone of them. Could it be because she's still thinking about her first love?

"He rejected me because he said I was too young and he didn't want to hurt his best friend. It was actually a secret I decided to never tell anyone but I think it is time."

"Who? Who was it? I can't believe that you are just telling me now," I urged her. I assumed it must be someone I knew if she was so secretive about it. A senior? Some guy from the basketball team? Or maybe someone from other school?

She turned to me and gave me a wide smile. "It's Shiroma Kouichi."

Thump thump thump


	10. Chapter 10

Thump Thump Thump

The dribbling sound from the basketball court in the gym got me back to reality. I sat on one of the steel benches in the empty guys' locker room.

Kou and Sendoh brought me here once the rain became lighter. It was like the rain was feeling the same emotion as me. Heavy at first but lighter now that I uttered those words to Kou.

Kou didn't say anything after I told him about Sara. He just kept quiet as he led us back to the gym. Then, he left me here while Sendoh ran off to the upper deck to retrieve my school bag after handing me his towel to dry myself off.

Was Kou okay?

I never knew he and Sara had a moment until the day she told me. I wonder if he ever liked her? When I first heard about it from Sara, I didn't know how to react or respond.

Right after she told me, I made up a stupid excuse and ran off like an idiot. It came as a shock to me because I didn't know all of that was happening behind my back. Honestly, I felt hurt that both Sara and Kou kept it from me. It was their secret so it was their right whether if they want to reveal it but still... It still hurt.

Guilt built up in me as I kept thinking about it. Sara mentioned that Kou rejected her because of his best friend. I wasn't sure if I was the 'best friend' in that scenario. Sara didn't elaborate about it but deep in my heart, I knew it was me.

If I was the reason, that's another wrongdoing I had for Sara. I can't believe how I could have forgotten all about it. Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind, I've blocked it to save myself from drowning deeper. Maybe it flew out of my mind because I had bigger things to worry about. I actually wanted to clear things up with Sara but in that one week, my hell began.

The door swung open and I glanced up. It was Sendoh with my black bag pack in his hand. He dropped it lightly beside me before sitting down next to me. He was still wet in his school uniform and his once spiked hair was flat from the damp.

"You okay?" he asked with concern as we looked ahead at the lockers in front of us.

"No," I replied tiredly.

We sat down in silence but I felt a little better now that he was here. Somehow, I feel safer and protected just being with him.

"Do you need anything else?" he asked.

"No, thank you," I said and pointed the towel around my neck. "Thanks for your towel, by the way. Sorry that I wet it."

"That's the purpose of a towel, isn't it?" he said in a light tone that took away some of the darkness residing in me.

"Where's Kou?"

His head gestured towards the door, "He needs a little more time."

Kou was just outside there. I can already imagine him leaning against a wall and looking up at the ceiling, figuring what to do and say. I guess the news about Sara has impacted him more that I had expected.

"Did I do it right?" I asked weakly.

Sendoh shrugged. "You told him. That's what matters the most. I think he's just digesting the information."

"Yeah, I guess," I couldn't help but wonder what if Kou knows everything. He only knows a fragment of it for now. How will he really react if he found out about everything? But problem was will he ever know the full story? I wasn't sure if I was strong enough to tell him.

My line of thoughts was broken by Sendoh's warm voice. "Hey, who's Sara?" he asked. I felt he held that question back for quite a while based on his reluctant tone.

Again, in front of Sendoh, I did not hesitate as usual when someone else asked about her. So I replied, "My best friend. A kind-hearted, warm and happy-go-lucky girl. My memories before coming here were filled with her and Kou everywhere. She's always beside me and we shared literally almost everything. I met her back in third grade and we've been close since. Once she joined basketball, we were inseparable. My love for basketball started from Kou while her love for it..." I stopped. I didn't know where her interest for basketball started from. I always thought it was from me but could it actually be from... Kou?

I shook the thoughts away and decided to steer away from the that topic. "Anyway, she's uh...," I paused and managed to stop any flowing tears. "She's gone now."

Sendoh didn't reply and just nodded. Both of us turned quiet again. I glanced sideways at him and took in his full form. It actually felt familiar and comfortable just being around him. Familiar and comfortable? Wait, why did I used these terms?

I just met Sendoh but for some kind of reason, I was immediately intrigued by his existence. Have I ever met Sendoh before coming to Ryonan? No, that's impossible. I've never seen or heard about him till few days ago. Did he resembled someone that I knew instead? Something clicked in my head and that's when I finally realized the reason I was okay talking to Sendoh without the darkness wrapping around me even when Sara was involved.

It was because I imagined his presence as the Kou from the past, before I knew Sara's crush on him. He reminded me so much of the old Kou before Kou left me – the basketball freak, his movement, height and the way he acted around me. He made me feel warmer and alive.

More importantly, Sendoh wasn't related to my past. He didn't know about her. About me. About the incident.

Suddenly, Sendoh leaned forward and grabbed the orange ball on the floor. "Hey, Sasaki. Have you ever feel our life is somehow like a basketball game?"

I tried to connect the link in my head but couldn't really piece it together so I shook my head.

"Let me ask you," Sendoh continued. "What do you do if you don't make the shot and the ball just hits the rim of the basketball hoop?"

I paused, puzzled by the sudden question. It was pretty straightforward. "Try again?"

Sendoh twirled the ball with his finger and my eyes were glued to the spinning rhythm. "More specific."

"Jump and catch the ball?"

Sendoh nodded and stopped the ball's spinning. "That's right. You rebound. Standing underneath the basketball hoop and waiting for the ball to come to you isn't going to happen. In fact, someone else will snatch it away from you first. It's okay that you don't make the shot but are you willing to fight for it after that?"

I know what was it he was trying to tell me. He was telling me that life goes on and the only way to stand back up after the fall is to move forward. I need to rebound.

"But what should I do? How do I rebound from this?" I asked weakly.

"That's for you to find out, Sasaki. This is your game," he said as he threw the ball lightly to me. I caught it clumsily in my hands. "Think of what you will do next once you have gotten the ball in your hands."

I gripped the ball and felt the surface. It was rough and have deep marks on it. I gripped hard on the ball and it brought back so many memories. I actually missed the sensation of basketball in my hand.

How long has it been since I've held a basketball? I think it was on the day I was elected captain of the team back in Tonari. That was when I walked away from everything. I pushed the thought aside and focused on Sendoh's question. If this was a basketball game, what should I do next?

I closed my eyes and imagined myself on the court. I have never really rebound before since I left it all to Mai-san and Kinoe as I focused on scoring. I imagined myself in both of their shoes. What would they do everytime they triumphed over the other opponents in the game of rebound. As they land on the floor, they would turn around and scanned the surrounding and throw the ball aside. The ball would fly through until it reaches the hands of another person. And with that, I found out the answer to Sendoh's question.

"Pass the ball to other teammates," I said as I opened my eyes.

Sendoh's warm voice replied, "Yes, basketball isn't a solo game. You could always dunk if you want but there's other options you can consider if dunking doesn't work. There's still other teammates around you that are there to receive your rebound. But are you willing to pass the ball to your fellow teammate?"

I fisted the edge of my skirt as I thought of everyone. Mai-san, Reira-san, Kinoe and... Sara. "But what if those teammates are out of the game? They are not here anymore. Who do I pass it to next?"

"You already have new teammates but you are not acknowledging it. Coming to Ryonan, I'm sure you met other people. Shiroma-senpai, Asato-senpai, the loud girl and well, me. Question is, do you see us as your teammates and friends?" he asked as his hand reached out, waiting for me to pass the ball.

I hesitated as my grasp on the ball tightened. Is Sendoh saying that he's willing to be my teammate and... friend? Why would he go to such length to a person that he just met? Or am I just being too suspicious? Maybe Sendoh is naturally friendly and nice to everyone. But what if he became like the people in Tonari Middle school after finding out about my past?

"Sendoh, I had no friends during the last year of my Junior High" I paused before I continued as I remembered the pain. "There was.. an incident that made everyone turn their back on me and even when someone was reaching out to me, I ran away like a coward. The ones that turned away, they were right to do so. If one day you know about my past, even you would walk away. You are nice to me now because you don't know how selfish and terrible I truly am."

Sendoh locked his eyes with mine. "Even knowing you for just these two days, well, three days including the day you freaked me out on the court... Okay, four days if you count the first basketball meeting, I know you're not a bad person. I don't know what happened in Junior high that made you like this but I do know you're a good person."

"You say this now because you don't know the truth, Sendoh."

"I don't need to. Remember what I said this morning? I'll accept it. Whatever it is you are about to tell me. For now, I'll wait until you're ready. You don't even have to tell me. It could be anyone else but what I'm trying to tell you is don't bear all the burden alone."

Sendoh gave me an encouraging look. A wave of emotion flood through me upon his words and gaze but I couldn't explain just what it was I was truly feeling. But I do know one thing, Sendoh made me realised that maybe it's time to face my past instead of cowering away from it. I decided that once Kou walks through that door, I'll talk to him instead of running away.

"Thank you, Sendoh," I said as I passed the ball to him which he received easily with a wide grin. I couldn't help but smile back in response and my heart felt so much lighter now.

Sendoh then reached out to me and patted on my head, like this morning. Immediately, I felt warmth and comfort. As we gazed at each other like that, I truly admired how good looking he was especially with his hair drenched like that.

My heartbeat rhythm was speeding up so attempting to relieve the situation at the moment, I light-heartedly said, "You're literally treating me like a dog, huh? I guess I have to thank Jirou-chan for making you think I was like a dog. Or else, you wouldn't have been here with me, right?

Something flashed in Sendoh's eyes as he pursed his lips before retracting his hand. "Actually-,"

A knock on the door stopped both of our conversation. The door swung open and Kou walked in slowly, looking very tired and wet.

"Hey," he said weakly.

"Hey," I replied in a similar tone.

"Sendoh, could you give Yuki and I a moment?" Kou asked as he glanced over to Sendoh.

Sendoh nodded, dropped the ball on the ground and then stood up, passing by Kou at the entrance. Sendoh glanced at me once more encouragingly before walking out the door.

Kou closed the door and stood there for quite a while before turning back towards me. "Yuki, we need to talk."

I nodded my head and sat upright. "Yeah, we do."


	11. Chapter 11

Silence hung in the air as Kou stood against the locker in front of me. For the last few minutes, we haven't exchange any words.

Just as I was about to utter the first word, Kou voiced up, "What...," he paused as he rummaged his wet hair. "What happened to Sara?"

My grips on my school skirt tightened. "She passed away, about a year ago."

Silence again. My right leg instinctively reached for the ball that Sendoh left on the ground earlier. I nudged it nearer to me and before I can bend over and reach for it, Kou spoke again. "There's something you should know about me and Sara."

I turned to him curiously. "Sara kind of... She uhhh," he trailed off then pushed himself away from the locker and began pacing. "Sara... Well, there was... I... Actually, we... She..."

"She liked you?" I offered.

Kou stopped on spot and stared at me in horror. "W-What-? Did... Did she tell you?"

I nodded and pursed my lips. What I would give to turn back time to that day on the hill when Sara told me about it. I would never run off like an idiot but talk things out with her instead. Maybe things would have been different.

I shook my head. Murai-sensei warned me to stay away from all the ifs. It would be too much for me to handle. Besides, it's too late.

Kou's head hung low as he kicked the empty air. "I thought you'll never ever find out. She told me to keep it a secret. But she told you, huh?"

"I didn't hear all of the story. Just bits of it," I said. "She told me about the hill, the ice-cream and the confession."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "That's actually almost everything that happened. And I'm guessing the part where I... rejected her?"

I nodded. "But why, Kou? You liked her, didn't you?"

His eyes widen. "H-How did you know? I've never told a soul about this including Sara herself."

"I had a suspicion when she mentioned you kept meeting her. You wouldn't have done that for any girl unless you had feeling for her."

He smiled sadly. "You do know me well enough," he looked up to the ceiling as he leaned back against the wall. "Yes, I was attracted to her. She was so different from the girls I've encountered in the past. But it felt wrong, so I stopped it before it went any further."

"Why?"

His expression was conflicted with pain and sadness. "She was your best friend, Yuki. You are my best friend. You were hurt so many times in the past because of those girls using you to get me. I couldn't risk your best friend."

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard how you talked about her and I know how much you cherished her. I couldn't take that away from you. I didn't want you to get caught in between if anything went wrong between me and Sara."

"Look, I wouldn't have mind if the both of you were together. She... really liked you, Kou. Even after you were gone, she still visits that hill, probably reminiscing both of your moments," I said and my guilt deepened. I knew it. It was all my fault. I was the wedge that ruined both of their happiness. "I'm so sorry, Kou. If it wasn't for me-"

He cut me off. "It wasn't just you, Yuki. I was still immature and my feelings for her wasn't even deep. I could see she was more invested in the relationship than me so I didn't want to hurt her. When she confessed to me, I was happy at first and had the impulse to accept her feelings. But then the more I thought about it, the more I realised I just liked her but I didn't love her. I didn't want to start a relationship that I knew would end immediately and if you found out I dumped her, you would hate me."

So it wasn't just because of me? It's true he had hurt Sara with the rejection but Kou made the right call of not starting a relationship that he didn't want to commit in the first place. If he had, Sara's heart wound would be even deeper. Moreover, Kou left Aichi soon after that. So the relationship would just end up stressing both of them and leading to the break up.

Yeah, I would be pissed if he hurt Sara in any ways but no, I wouldn't hate him. It's ironic how he was so worried about me hating him even though I would never hate him no matter what. So, maybe he wouldn't hate me after all?

"But, I guess it's no use to ponder about this anymore. She's really gone, isn't she?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said as I looked at my balled fists on my crumpled skirt.

"So Sara's the reason you've been avoiding me?" he asked as he glanced over at me.

I nodded sadly. "Somewhere in my heart, I knew you liked her so I was afraid. Every inch of fiber in my body was telling me to avoid you. Because it was possible that you might walk away and hate me if you ever knew I was the..."

I didn't need to continue. He knew what I was going to say.

"How did she…?" he trailed off.

Mustering the courage that Sendoh gave me, I closed my eyes and dug out the memories I've shoved aside. I knew this was going to break me but I want to tell Kou.

The images from the past flooded in me. The images I encountered whenever I step on the basketball court. The images that made me quit basketball.

Sara and my eyes met on the basketball court. The dribbling sound, blaring loudspeaker and crowd cheering resounded in the background.

And suddenly, everything changed before my eyes. The dribbling sound slowed down, the loudspeaker echoed in panic and crowd was screaming. And Sara...

With that, panic sunk in me and my fingers automatically gripped the side of my head. My head was throbbing in pain. I couldn't breathe and my mind was going disarray.

"No,no," the voice in me blurted out uncontrollably. My eyes opened to see Kou all flustered and immediate knelt down in front of me.

"Yuki, calm down." Kou pried my hands off from my head. He gripped my hands in his big, warm hands. "Yu, it's okay. Just take a deep breath."

"I can't, Kou," I said as the tears spilled down my face. "I want to tell you but I can't. I just can't. I'm not ready yet"

He embraced me in his arm and smoothly patted my back. Gently, he said, "Yu, it's okay. You're going to be okay. Don't force yourself."

"It was all my fault. It was because of me that Sara is... Sara..," I couldn't bring myself to say it again.

"Yuki, stop it. You don't have to say it. Just calm down," I could hear the conflict in Kou's voice and his embrace tightened. He was feeling my pain too. "I don't need to know now. It's okay, you don't have to tell me. It's alright, Yu."

"I miss Sara. I miss her so much," I cried into his shoulder. These were words that I've never said to anyone, not even my therapist. It was always residing in my heart and I was too afraid to unleash those words out.

"I know, I know," he said and he didn't say anything else. He just continued to let me cry my heart out on his shoulder as he continuously patted my back. I didn't know how long I was crying but it actually felt good to let some of the pain out and have a good cry.

Slowly, I was finally able to compose myself and reel back those memories to put them aside. When Kou felt that I was getting ahold of myself, he pushed me gently to have a good lookà on my face.

"Alright, Yuki," he said as he used Sendoh's towel around my neck to wipe of the tears and my running nose. "You okay?"

I nodded my head but couldn't say anything as I tried to fight the hiccup that's trying to escape from my throat.

"That's really enough tears for today. Your eyes are getting way too puffy and if this goes on, guys could be running away at the sight of you."

Unconsciously, I chuckled at that remark. He used to say I was ugly back when we were young and always mentioned how guys could never be attracted to me. I would always get annoyed but I knew he was only teasing me so I never took it to heart. And I knew what was he doing now. He was just trying to lighten the mood and make me smile.

And I did what I always do when he make that stupid remark. I punched him gently on his shoulder. Then he smiled back. It was just like old time between the both of us again. "Thank you," I muttered softly.

"Alright, seriously. Stop crying. And listen to me because I've got something to say to you."

I glanced at him curiously and wiped the remaining tears with the back of my palm.

He gripped the sides of my shoulders and looked up at me. "I'm sorry that I never went back to see you, I'm sorry that you have to go through all that by yourself, I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you," Kou blurted out without even pausing for air. "I'm just... I'm just really sorry, Yu."

My heart ached as I looked at his state. I shook my head. "It wasn't-,"

He stopped me as he continued, "It doesn't matter what you say because it is partly my fault. I should have went back. I should have known. I should have... been there for you."

I thought of the days without Kou. I missed so many things about him. The ease of talking to him because no matter what I said or did, he'll never get angry at me. The sense of security as he kept an eye on me all the time. The happiness of just knowing he's always there when I need him or someone to lean on.

Even with Sara around back then, she was never able to fully fill the gap left by Kou. But it was enough to keep me moving forward. And with Sara gone, all was left for me to continue were the good memories and now, I was living just for the sake of living.

I wondered if Kou was there with me back then when it all happened, would it have made any difference to where I was now? Maybe just a little but not enough. It took me a full year to successfully put the pain aside but I was already broken. I needed therapy and medication to get me through all this.

But Sara's death... Would it have been avoidable? I'm not sure.

"Now listen very closely to my monologue that I've crafted it my head just now." Kou continued, "I don't know what happened to Sara exactly and why you said you have something to do with it. But I don't believe it's your fault and I know you're not ready to tell me yet so I'll wait, alright? Take as long as you want and it's okay if you don't ever reveal it. Listen closely and remember, I'll never walk away from you no matter what. I'm sorry I was gone without trace for a few years back then but I had my reasons for that which I'll tell you another time. In the meantime, I want you to remember that we've been besties for a very long time. You're still the Yuki that I know and nothing you say can change the fact you're my little sister, alright?"

I choke back any tears as my heart lightened at the thought that Kou still treats me as his best friend after all this time.

"I promise you from here on out, I'm going to be here," Kou said and he gave me a small smile.

"Thank you, Kou. And I promise you too, I'll tell you everything one day," I said and looked into his eyes. "I will find it me somehow to tell you the whole story. Then you can decide what to do and I won't hold it against you if you decide to hate me, okay?"

"Alright then, it's a promise then," he said and offered his pinky to me.

I couldn't help but laughed. The old tradition between the both of us. "Aren't we a little too old to do pinky swear?"

"Hey, we're still young," he pouted. "Come on, we need to seal the pact somehow and shaking on it is just too weird for me."

Hesitantly, my pinky also reached out to his and as out pinky fingers tangled, I knew that I'm going to be okay from here on out.

Like Sendoh said, I have friends. It's not like Junior High anymore. Maybe this is where I can have a new start. I can't let the past to keep haunting me. It was going to take a long time but with Kou's and Sendoh's encouragement, maybe I can move forward.

"Anything else that I need to know?" Kou asked as he let go of my pinky finger. "Maybe you can tell me why you quit basketball?"

I grimaced at first about letting him to be even more worried but then, he should really know about my current situation. "Whenever I get on the court, the bad memories come to me. I'll have some kind of panic attack and I'd encountered this a few times already so that's why I had to quit. It was also the reason I reacted badly yesterday when you were pulling me towards the court. I could feel the darkness wrapping around me."

"But you still love basketball, don't you?" he asked.

I thought about it for a while and honestly if he asked me a year ago, my answer would have been completely different but coming to Ryonan, it made me realised my true feeling for basketball "I do. I miss it actually."

He nodded his head. "I see. Don't worry. We will think of-"

He was cut off by a loud chattering outside as though there was argument. Immediately, the door burst open and Taoka-sensei, Sendoh and Asato-senpai walked in.

Taoka-sensei glanced from Kou to me and his eyes were filled with fury.

"Who are you?" he asked me.


	12. Chapter 12

I was too stunned for words while Kou immediately jumped on his feet as he turned to Taoka-sensei.

"C-Coach," Kou stuttered.

"Well, who is she?" Taoka-sensei's eyes focused on Kou now.

"Sasaki Yuki, a freshman," Kou answered.

"Why is she here, Shiroma? You should know better than anyone else that people unrelated to the basketball team are not allowed into the locker room."

Kou took a step forward. "Coach, I can explain," he said.

"It had better be a good one because Shiroma, you're not holding your responsibilities properly. You were elected because I thought you can be a good leader but look at you," Taoka-sensei's tone was getting angrier. "Last week, you let two girls into the first meeting and they interrupted the match. Earlier, you made training arrangement and just walked away when you were supposed to be monitoring it. Now, you are here with a girl that is completely unrelated to the basketball team when you should have been outside on the court. What are you doing here anyway? Flirting? And why in the world are you guys wet?"

Kou's fist balled as he cast his eyes on the floor.

"How am I supposed to trust you with leading the team, Shiroma?" Taoka-sensei continued. "It's only the second week and you're already messing up. Do you even have the intention to be captain? Have I misjudged your capability after all?"

God, I am causing him into so much trouble. My eyes drifted from Kou to Taoka-sensei. As I looked at the side of Kou's face, I realised that he actually looked scared which was something that rarely occur. It must be because he was worried about his position. He managed to become the captain of the team and seeing how angry Taoka-sensei was, his position could be in jeopardy.

Kou's face frowned and I'm guessing he was trying to find a proper explanation. But if he told the truth, it would just anger Sensei more.

However, I wasn't going to let Kou take the blame for me. I was the one that started all of this. I need to make it right, even if I had to lie. Maybe I can say I was the one bugging him all week. Or pretend to be his sister?

"Sensei, I-"

"Quiet!" Taoka-sensei shut me down. "I don't need to hear it from someone that shouldn't be here in the first place."

Argh, he's fuming with anger and I wasn't sure will I make it worse if I say anything now.

"Coach," Kou tried this time. "She… She's my-,"

"She's here to become the manager of the team," Asato-senpai exclaimed loudly at the doorway and our attention shifted to him.

What?

"Excuse me?" Taoka-sensei asked confusingly.

"Over the past few years, Kouichi always felt that we need a manager to support the team. However, we never have that practice in Ryonan so we were unsure if you will agree to it," Asato-senpai explained. "Since Kouichi became a captain, he wanted to make it real as he believes that this can build morale to our team."

Kou, Sendoh and I have astonished faces as we listened to Asato-senpai.

However, the fury on Taoka-sensei's faced has diminished to curiosity which was a good sign. "Continue," he said.

"That was why, Kouichi had invited her to the meeting in the first place. He wanted to show her what the basketball team will be like this year. Today, he was meeting her here to evaluate her credibility. He wanted to make sure she has what it takes to become our team manager," Asato-senpai said. "We kept it a secret and have been sneaking around because we wanted to be absolutely sure that she was the right candidate before we approached you with the whole idea."

Okay, I have to hand it to Asato-senpai with the quick comeback. It actually kind of make sense even though it was all a lie. However, it felt too detailed and elaborate to be just a lie. Did they have this idea right from the start?

Taoka-sensei rubbed his chin as he listened.

"Is it true, Shiroma? You want to get this girl to become the manager of our team?"

"W-Well," Kou stammered as he glanced back at me. I wasn't sure what expression I was wearing but as soon as Kou saw my face, I could feel he was going to deny what Asato-senpai had just said.

He knew my situation and fear on the court so honestly, it wouldn't work out. We didn't need to exchange words for me to know what he was going to do next. He was going to protect me.

But I can't ruin his effort in basketball. He loves basketball and seeing Taoka-sensei's reaction, it was too risky to be honest. If he found out it was all just a lie, he might suspend both Kou's and Asato's position. I can't be this selfish.

I stood up immediately before Kou had the chance to reply Taoka-sensei. 'It's true."

"Yuki!" Kou uttered in dismay.

I ignored him and stood by his side. "I was meeting Ko-, I mean Shiroma-senpai to get the manager position. I've uhhhh..."

I trailed off, unsure what to say. Damn it, Yuki. I can't hesitate. If Taoka-sensei suspects anything, our lies would be in vain. Just tell them. Whatever was on my mind now. Say it.

I stared into Taoka-sensei's eyes. "I've always liked basketball and wished I could be a part of it."

There, I said it. But did I actually really said those words? The words that I thought I would never utter again my whole life.

Taoka-sensei narrowed his eyes at me as though he was doubting us then turned towards Sendoh. "Then what does Sendoh have to do with these? I can understand both of the captain's and vice-captain's involvement but why Sendoh?"

I glanced towards the entrance. Sendoh was leaning against the wall and had been silent as he observed but I knew his eyes were on me the whole time. Our eyes met and I gave him a look that was willing him to play along with the lie. His left eyebrow arched slightly, as though he was asking me, 'You sure about this?'.

I nodded.

Sendoh pushed himself away from the wall and stood upright. One hand in his pocket and the other rummaging his wet hair, he answered, "Because I am in the same year as her and somehow we've became friends when I ran into her the other day in the basketball court near my house. Besides, it would be easier to approach her as a freshman rather than the seniors. The senpais attract too much attention and captain wanted to keep everything low-key to avoid other female freshmen to come running asking for a manager position. You know how the fan girls are. Captain wanted Sasaki to be the one to have this position."

Taoka-sensei nodded in acknowledgement and seemed to be deep in thoughts.

I felt relief. I mouthed 'Thank you' and Sendoh gave me a small smile.

"Why a freshman then?" Taoka-sensei asked and he turned to the guy that started all of this. "Wouldn't the juniors or seniors be more suitable for the role since they are around here much longer?"

Asato-senpai was scratching the back of his head. "That's because... Becuse..." Asato-senpai trailed off, unable to find the right words.

I bit my lips, ready to say I volunteered for it when suddenly, Kou's voice rang across the room.

"I believe that getting a freshman to assist us would be better because she would be here for the next three years. When next year comes, she would already have enough experience to help the new batch of freshmen. By the third year, she would already know the ins and outs of supporting the team. From there, she can train the new freshman to become the upcoming manager during her very last year."

In that moment, Kou was acting like a true captain and his response was flawless. He really has the leadership material. I believed that he and Asato-senpai must have thought of doing this or else they wouldn't have such perfect answer.

"Why did you approach her in the first place instead of getting all the freshmen to interview? What's so special about her?"

"I grew up with her, Coach, so I already know her characreristics. I'd personally train her to play basketball so she has all the experience. She even played basketball back in Junior High so this already tells you she's good enough. That's why I wanted her to be the manager from the start," Kou replied.

"Oh?" Taoka-sensei tilted his head as though he was deep in thought. He then stared at me from hear to toe.

I grimaced under his stare and felt nervous. If he didn't buy this, Kou will get into lots of trouble which goes the same for both Sendoh and Asato-senpai.

"However, Coach," Kou said. "Yuki just told me she already quit basketball so I believe she's not really the best candidate for us anymore. I had wanted someone that's actively playing basketball so that they could keep up with the team. Sorry for making you go through all these but I will find someone else to fill in this position if you still want a manager."

I know Kou's intention. He was trying to get me off the hook now that Taoka-sensei calmed down. I do appreciate that because let's face it, I can't be managing the team when I can't even be on the court. Besides, I'm sure there would be other girls that would be more than happy to join the basketball team.

"Huh? Why?" Taoka-sensei's snapped toward Kou. "She is clearly the best candidate with all the experience and moreover, she already quit basketball. So she has the time to be helping with managing the team, am I right? She won't have to juggle between actually playing it while managing the team that could distract her."

"Coach, I understand that but I prefer to get someone that's more active with basketball. She stopped quite some time ago so she has lost her stamina and skills."

"I believe if you'd train her in the past, she wouldn't be so weak. Besides, if she's such a good player, Kosugi-sensei would have already heard of her and snatch her away to the female basketball team. I like the way she is now. At least, she can even train some of the freshman with the basics of basketball. As long as she knows everything there's to know about basketball, that's good enough for me. It's easier than training someone from scratch and telling them what are the difference between the baseline and sideline," Tanaka-senpai then turned to me. "You do know what are those, don't you?"

I nodded my head. "Y-Yeah, I do."

"There. Well, I'm okay with having this girl to be our manager but I do need more time to think this through before coming to a decision. I need to get some paperwork done and talk to the headmaster since this is all something new to the basketball team."

Kou voiced up, "Coach, this was just a proposal and we don't have to go through with this. It's just something that Shunpei and I thought about suddenly."

Right then, Taoka-sensei smiled. He stepped forward and gave Kou a pat on his shoulder, clearly praising him. "It's actually a good idea. I really do appreciate your effort. I'm sorry that I overreacted just now because I thought you were slacking but you're the first captain that has ever done anything like this. With a manager, the team would actually feel happier with someone picking up after them. They can actually focus on their practice more. Great thinking, Shiroma and Asato. Both of you are doing a great job."

When Taoka-sensei stepped away, the look on Kou's face was full of uncertainties and I knew him well enough to know he was going to protest again. If he kept doing that, Taoka-sensei might caught on to the lie.

Biting my lips, I looked at Kou, then to Asato-senpai before locking my eyes with Sendoh. His eyes were determined and encouraging. It was like he was telling me 'Everything will work out'. Somewhere within me, I know I need to try.

With that I broke the gaze, turned to Taoka-sensei and said, "I am more than happy to join the team, Sensei if you would permit me."

Kou turned disapprovingly at me but I ignored his glare. Taoka-sensei nodded his head and his tone was nicer now. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. In the meantime, you need to leave. You're still not a part of the basketball team and it's against our protocol for you to be here. We need to set a good example to our fellow students."

Kou bowed apologetically, "It's my fault, Coach. I'll walk her out now."

Kou gestured me to walk with him and I grabbed my bag. Before he can take a step, Taoka-sensei stopped him.

"That's enough of you wasting time. Three of you, in the court. Now. You," he turned to me. "Go."

With a bow and another glance at Kou, Asato-senpai and Sendoh, I walked past them, out of the room through the doorway and down the hallway.

What's going to happen to me now?


	13. Chapter 13

I dragged my sluggish body out of the house forcefully. I couldn't sleep at all last night as my mind was filled with yesterday's event. So much has happened in just one day. Walking to school with Sendoh, remembering those memories that I've hidden away, telling Kou the truth, taking to Sendoh and becoming a manager. The last one stung the most. Well, at least there was something new and different for once hindering my mind.

The sun hadn't risen yet by the time I left the house. It was way too early and quite dark but my emotion was too unsettled for me to stay put any longer. I ran towards the basketball court along the Spiky Road, hoping to see Sendoh. He should be practicing basketball now and I might interrupt him but I just couldn't wait anymore.

Come to think of it, just how early does he wake up to play basketball every morning before going to school? Isn't he sleepy at all? He always seemed so energetic and awake.

When the basketball court came into view, my eyes only captured the lamp post that was illuminating the entrance but there wasn't any sound of basketball dribbling.

I stopped in front of the basketball court but it was still dark so I couldn't see anything clearly. Just as I was about to walk away, the slight movement of silhouettes made me realised that there were two people inside. I peered in cautiously to get a glimpse but it I couldn't make out who those figures were.

"Come on, I'm already here so stop bugging me. I wanna see Yuki-chan!"

Wait, that cheery voice.

"Why did you come in the first place? I told you to stay out of this," the rough voice exclaimed.

Those voices. It can't be them, can it?

Suddenly, one of the figures was pointing at my direction and before long, he was running towards me at high speed while the other figure followed him. My right leg automatically took a step back because I had a bad feeling.

They were getting nearer to me and soon, the lights illuminated Asato-senpai's cheerful face and then followed by Kou's annoyed look. Asato-senpai had his arms wide open as though he wanted a hug. Kou was chasing him at the fastest speed but Asato-senpai was able to stay ahead.

"Yuki-chan! Good morning!" Asato-senpai greeted excitedly when he was two steps away from me. I knew I should run off but I was too stunt to the ground to move.

He was already in front of me by now and his long arms were about to encircled me. My body tensed and my eyes were blinking like crazy but my body remained rigid.

Right then, I felt a tug on my bag by a strong force from my back and the next thing I know, my legs lost balance and I was falling. As for Asato-senpai, his eyes widened as his shirt was yanked by Kou from his behind.

I was expecting to fall to the ground but within seconds, my body staggered into something hard and warm.

"Oi, oi," a voice behind me said. "What are you all doing this early morning?"

As I peered upwards, it revealed the spiky hair of Sendoh with a light smile on his face. I couldn't help but blush at his sudden appearance.

"Uh, well-," I tried to explain but was interrupted by Kou instead.

"Shunpei! What the hell were you trying to do to Yuki?!" Kou exclaimed and he gave a knock on Asato-senpai's head.

Asato-senpai yelped in return and rubbed his wounded area. "Come on, I was just excited to see Yuki-chan. She was all sad yesterday. I'm giving her my Super Duper Happy Hug to lift her mood up."

"You're going to freak her out instead!" Kou replied disapprovingly.

Then Asato-senpai turned to me, "Did I? Did I really scared you, Yuki-chan?"

"J-Just a little," I forced a smile.

"Really? But you're looking really comfortable from where I stand," he teased.

Confusingly, I glanced behind me. Immediately, my blush deepened because I finally realised I was leaning on Sendoh's chest. I quickly pushed myself away from him and he released my bag but he still kept a kind smile.

"She was in danger. I had to help, don't I, Sasaki?" Sendoh directed the question at me.

"Y-Yeah. T-Thank you, S-Sendoh," I was stammering like crazy as I bowed my head in appreciation at him. I couldn't control my breathing. What was wrong with me?

"Aw, come on, Yuki-chan. You'll feel better with this hug. Come on, you know you want it," Asato-senpai said.

I turned back around and Asato-senpai was moving towards me again. I expected Kou to give Asato-senpai another knock but instead, he remain still and was just staring at Sendoh. Was he in daze?

"Hmmm? No reaction?" Asato-senpai noticed too and stopped his advance as he turned to Kou. "Oi, Kouichi. Aren't you going to stop me?"

Asato-senpai waved his hand in Kou's face and with a sudden movement, Kou gave Asato-senpai another knock.

"Ouch!" he yelped and I couldn't help but laugh. "I thought you were day dreaming."

"I was just thinking of something," Kou replied dryly then strutted towards me. "Anyway, good morning, Yuki, Sendoh."

"Good morning," Sendoh and I said at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Waiting for you. Sendoh filled me in that he's walking with you to school everyday. Figured I could meet you here to talk," Kou replied as he adjusted the bag strap on his shoulder. "We need to discuss about what happened yesterday."

"You came all the way early this hour just for this?"

Kou grinned. "I've known you long enough to know that you'll appear here during this ungodly hour. You were worried, weren't you?"

"Y-yeah," I bowed my head apologetically. "I'm so sorry for the trouble I've caused to you all. If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened."

"Don't be an idiot," he said as I straightened up. "Both of us needed that and you know it's true, Yuki."

He was right. I could feel the wall trapping me had finally cracked a little, letting some light to shine through the darkness. "Yeah."

"Anyway, pushing all those stuffs aside, I am here on business," Kou's eyes turned serious. "After you left, Taoka-sensei and us had a little chat. He's dead set on having you become our manager."

"Yeah, Yuki-chan. We tried to change his mind but he was impressed by the fact that Kou trained you last time," Asato-senpai said as he stood beside Kou and continuously rubbed his head. "Maybe you shouldn't have mentioned that part in the first place, Kouichi. Look what it did to Yuki-chan."

"Me? You were the one that started this by saying that Yuki was there to be the manager," Kou retorted. "You couldn't come up with a better reason?"

"Hey, I saved you back there when you were all speechless. I know you didn't want to reveal the whole manager thing just yet but I saw a way out and I took it. You didn't have to talk Yuki-chan up to get Taoka-sensei's buy in."

And with that, their bickering continued. It was like watching a game of tennis rally as they kept pushing the blame towards each another.

"-stay out of this," Kou said.

Before Asato-senpai can utter another word, I cut in. "Hey, it doesn't matter now. Either way, Asato-senpai did saved us. I would have gotten detention from that. Thank you, Asato-senpai," I said then turned to Kou. "And your position could have been suspended, Kou."

Kou kept quiet momentarily then he gently smacked the back of Asato-senpai. "She's right. I'm sorry, Shunpei. My head's just out of bound at the moment because I'm not sure how to clean this up. I should be thanking you instead"

"Nah, bro," Asato-senpai replied and he threw a light punch on Kou's shoulder. "I'm just doing what a vice captain, no, wait, a friend needed to do. Come on, cheer up. There's definitely a way to help Yuki-chan."

I gave Asato-senpai an appreciative smile and he returned it with a grin. I have to admit. Asato-senpai is a pretty cool guy even though he can be mischievous at times. I am really glad that Kou has a friend like him that can support him this way.

Suddenly, Asato-senpai's grin grew wider and he leaned closer towards me. Sendoh pulled me away again and Kou gave him another punch.

"What the hell was that?" Kou exclaimed.

"Hey! Yuki gave me a signal. I was just responding to the signal," Asato-senpai shouted then turned towards me. "That was a signal, right? I could feel you were falling for me."

"N-No, it wasn't," I shook my head eagerly.

"Oh," Asato-senpai's shoulder slumped then his mood lit up again. "Don't worry. You are going to love me one day."

He gave me a wink and I couldn't help but laughed awkwardly.

Kou clapped his hands a few times. "Alright, come on. Enough fooling around. We need to discuss about the whole manager situation."

Asato-senpai voiced up. "What's the plan? Yuki-chan can't be on the court, right? There's no way she can handle being our manager then. Knowing those guys, they would take full advantage of Yuki-chan."

Huh? Does Asato-senpai know? I looked at him questioningly then at Kou.

"Sorry, Yuki. I had to tell him or else he would have done something stupid like giving more suggestions to Taoka-sensei to get you on the team," Kou replied.

I shook my head. "No, it's okay. I was just surprised, that's all. It would be great if Asato-senpai knows too. It's better to have four heads than three to think about this, right?"

Kou breathed out a sigh of relief then stood upright. "Now then, Yuki, we need to know your tolerance level now. We need to understand how far into the court would you feel uncomfortable. Is it at the entrance or in the middle of the court or from the base line?"

That was a good question which I had never considered. Come to think of it, the panic attack had only happen when I'm standing in the middle of the court and only when I was submerged into the thoughts of playing basketball. Since the last attack, I always just avoided the court because I was just scared.

"Middle of the court," I explained. "It doesn't happen immediately. It just happens when I'm about to play basketball or wants to play."

"So does this mean, if you don't have any intention to play, you won't feel uncomfortable?" Kou asked.

"I'm not really sure. I have never stepped into the court since I've quitted."

Kou grasped his chin and seemed to be in thoughts.

"What exactly happens when you're on the court, Yuki-chan?" Asato-senpai asked.

Kou's head snapped upwards and Sendoh straightened beside me. Based on their reaction, I guessed they were not planning to ask this question or even allow this question to pop up in the first place. Asato-senpai meant no harm because he's a curious guy by nature but it was a sensitive question at the moment.

Asato-senpai was about to add on to the question but Kou shot him a dagger look. Asato-senpai then realised he must have overstepped the line and gave me an apologetic look but I gave him a reassuring smile. He received it with a grateful smile.

"Give us a minute, Yuki," Kou said then dragged Asato-senpai away. Looked like Kou was about to lecture him.

"You don't have to answer that if you're not ready, Sasaki," Sendoh whispered softly. "We understand."

"Yeah, I know."

I turned to him, paused momentarily and bit my lips as I thought about it. My gaze turned over to the basketball court and focused on the tall basketball hoop.

The last panic attack I had was in the basketball court that Kou and I practiced when we were kids. I remember my knees were on the cold, wet floor. Sweats dripping down my face onto the floor as I panted, desperate for air. The vivid images and dribbling sounds resounded heavily in my head. There was screaming ringing across the court and it was coming from me. The tears couldn't stop flowing and I clutched my throbbing head. And those words. Those words kept repeating in my head.

It was all your fault. It was because of you. You did this. You did this to...

My eyes tear away from the court forcefully and looked at the ground. I shook my head repeatedly, hoping to clear those voices in my head. The fear and bad sensation were flooding into me and I used every inch of my willpower to push them away.

Sendoh must have felt my body tensed and his warm hand laid on top of my right shoulder. When I looked up, he gave me a comforting smile. Slowly, I was able to compose myself and those bad thoughts dispersed. Why? Why does Sendoh has such a calming effect?

"Thank you," I muttered as I gazed into his eyes. I felt like my worries were gone just by staring at his brown eyes.

"You're welcome," he replied with his soothing voice.

"Ahem," Kou cleared his throat and I jumped while Sendoh let his hand go. Both Kou and Asato-senpai were walking back towards us. "Ignore Shunpei. He always ask stupid questions, Yuki."

I gave him a nod and smile.

"Anyway, it means you don't encounter it from the moment you step onto the court," Kou took a step forward. "That's something we can think about. Being a manager doesn't necessarily means you have to be on the court all the time. We could assign you with tasks away from the court as much as possible. Maybe we can assign her to be in the locker room, clean the basketballs or go on a run. What do you think, Shunpei?"

"Yeah, I think that works. We just need to set a clear rule about Yuki-chan's position for the guys. Not to abuse the manager system and avoid letting her to be on court, to be safe," Asato-senpai replied.

"Yes, we can definitely do that," Kou replied then turned to me with a serious look. "Yuki."

"Yeah?"

He hesitated a moment before saying the next sentence. His eyes were serious and cautious.

"Do you think there's a chance it won't happen again? It has been a year," Kou asked and he was asking the question very carefully. "Maybe you've recovered?"

I thought of going onto the court numerous times especially after I've undergone the counselling sessions. The sessions and medication had helped but the fear residing in me was too strong. I was worried that I would fall apart and made my parents worried again so I avoided it altogether.

But then, what Kou said was plausible. It has been more than a year now. Maybe I've recovered a little to be able to stand on the court again. Coming to Ryonan, everything had changed, right? I have friends now.

"It's possible but I need to stand on the court to be sure," I replied.

"How about we give it a try?" Sendoh asked.

"That's a good idea. Let's go then," Asato-senpai cheered and tried to grab my hand.

Kou was already ready to react but Sendoh was faster as he blocked Asato-senpai with his body in front of me. Then, Kou stared at Sendoh in a way I couldn't quite place. It was actually a very familiar look but I can't recall when was it that he wore it.

"Maybe not today. We are running out of time after all," Sendoh replied as he gestured towards the sky. The sun has finally risen and the birds were chirping, welcoming morning.

"Oh yeah, I think we should get going to school then," Kou replied then looked at me. "We'll have to do it after school then. Ah, I have to go somewhere with Shunpei later. How about tomorrow. No wait, we have training. The day after tomorrow?"

"We have meeting with Kosugi-sensei. Then Friday with Taoka-sensei and finally Saturday we have training," Asato-senpai said and he looked disappointed.

"I guess that leaves us with Sunday. Shall we meet here on Sunday morning?"

"Sure," I nodded my head determinlgly. It's time. "Let's test it out."

"Great. It's a promise then. We still have time before Taoka-sensei makes any decision and also, let's hope he might change his mind," Kou replied. "Alright, come on, Shunpei. Let's go to school."

"Huh? Just me and you? What about Yuki-chan and Sendoh?" Shunpei exclaimed.

"Yesterday, we had already attracted lots of unwanted attention. I heard some girls whispering about Yuki already. She doesn't need those rumours or gossips to affect her," Kou explained.

Ah, so it happens again. Kou's fanbase was still as strong as ever. Hopefully they are not like those girls back in Junior High. I had lots of trouble back then.

"Curse you and your fame. But I still want to walk with Yuki-chan. Why don't you go on ahead? It's you they want, not me."

"No and that's final," Kou said and he dragged Shunpei by his collar. "You're way too dangerous."

"Noooo, Yuki-chan! Save me from this tyrant!"

Uncontrollably, I laughed out loud.

"I'll see you this Sunday. In the meantime, stay out of trouble," he paused then looked at Sendoh. "Keep an eye out for her."

"I will," Sendoh replied without any hesitation.

Then, Kou pulled the unwilling Asato-senpai away and passed by the park.

As soon as they were out of sights, I asked Sendoh. "Shall we go then?"

"Sure. Oh wait, before that."

He swiftly knock me on my head. I yelped and turned to him confusingly. He gave me a smirk.

"That's for the bow earlier," he remarked and then walked away.

I couldn't help but smile and chased after him.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading. It will be great if you can comment and let me know what you'd think of the story


	14. Chapter 14

"You don't look like you've slept well. You okay?" Sendoh asked as we walked side by side down Spiky Road.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just have a lot of things on my mind lately. But I've just gotten some new medic-," I stopped immediately and clear my throat. "I mean I'm fine."

Sendoh didn't look convinced but he didn't press on any further. "You should drink some chamomile tea if you ever feel you can't sleep."

"Chamomile? What's that?"

"It's a type of this tiny white flower. You can dry them up into dried flowers and add hot water to them to make tea. It helps people with insomnia and relieves anxiety. There are other flower teas that help with sleep problem too such as lavender and passion flower but the one that I prefer is chamomile because it has earthy apple smell."

My eyes widened in amazement. For a sporty guy to know about flowers and tea, it seems unusual. But then again, there's a lot of things I still don't know about Sendoh so I'm quite interested to find out more about him.

"How do you know so much about these flower teas?"

"Oh, that's because my grandmother likes herbal teas so it might have influenced me. She grows her own flower and dries them up occasionally to make teas. I'll ask my grandmother to set some aside for you when she has made chamomile dried flowers next. We normally keep some in our house but it has just run out."

That explains the huge and colourful garden in Sendoh's house. His grandmother must have love flowers a lot.

"But how could you be so sure that the chamomile tea works? Have you tried it before?"

Sendoh nodded his head. "As a matter of fact, I did. Back when I started basketball in Junior High, I was already competing in Regionals. But I had trouble sleeping every time before the actual match because I was too anxious and excited. It took me a long while to fall sleep and by the time I slept, it was already late into the nights," Sendoh said then his face turned a little embarrassed. "Then, I might have overslept and missed the first half of the match one time. And an entire match after that."

I couldn't stop my laughter from spilling out. What a reason.

"Yeah, yeah. It was stupid. I know. So anyway, one day when my grandparents visited my house back when I stayed with my parents, I told them all about it. Well, like you, they laughed but after that, my grandmother handed over a small packet of chamomile dried flowers. She told me how it helps people with sleep problem. The night before the semifinals, I infused the tea as taught by my grandmother and drank it. It actually worked. I had a good night sleep and woke up in time to go to the match. Ever since then, I would drink one cup of Chamomile tea the night before the match."

"Wow, that's really interesting. I'll hold your word to it on how effective it really is," I said.

"There's no guarantee but you should give it a try. I'll tell my grandmother and pass to you once we have gotten them."

"All right, thanks," I said and resisted the urge to bow. I don't feel like receiving another knock. "By the way, exactly how early do you normally sleep to wake up so early every morning just to play basketball?"

"Not very early actually. I think it's quite late. Why?"

"You always look so awake and energetic all the time? How did you do that?"

"Now, that's a secret I'm not going to divulge," he winked playfully.

"Why not?" I frowned. Could it be some kind of secret tea?

"Because it's not a good habit. I don't want you to catch on to it."

"Come on, how bad can it be?"

"Trust me, you are better off not knowing," he said as we stepped through the school gates.

"Fine," I said and pouted. "How come you didn't play basketball this morning?"

"Well, I have training later this evening. If there's no training for the day, then only I'll shoot some hoops in the morning. That's going to be my new routine."

"Don't you have a day off from basketball? It's important to rest once in a while."

"Hmmm, maybe once a week. I don't really keep track of it. I will rest if I feel exhausted or have other things I need to prioritise," he answered then leaned in a little closer. "By the way, Sasaki. Don't you feel like people are starting at us?"

I glanced around and Sendoh was right. There were a few girls whispering and pointing at us. No wait, at me specifically.

"I think yesterday's incident with Kou really did attracted people's attention. Exactly like he said just now," I sighed. "Not again."

"Again? This has happened before?" he stood upright.

"Yeah, back when I was in elementary school and for a while in Junior High. He was very famous in the neighborhood and had many fan girls back then," I said and smiled sadly. "I always hung out with him after school and during the weekend. Mostly, we were just training basketball but a lot of people have the wrong idea about us."

"Wrong idea?"

I nodded my head. "Lots of girls thought Kou and I were dating. We weren't, of course. We're just really close friends that grew up together."

"Can't say I blame them though. Both of you really do seem to be a couple based on the way the Captain acts around you."

I laughed at that comment. So many people had that perception for years. "I can't imagine Kou as my boyfriend, honestly."

"Why not? He's good looking and a great basketball player. You have any idea how many girls were swooning during our practice training the other day?" he asked as we entered the main entrance and stood by the shoe lockers.

"I know very well," I said as we slipped into our school soles and placed our shoes into the locker. "It's just Kou and I were never connected that way. He has always been just a brother to me."

Sendoh shut his locker then turned to me. "Well, if it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be then. So what are you going to do about those fan girls? Their glances earlier were like sharp daggers and even though they weren't directed at me, I could feel the piercing on my skin already."

I shrugged then both of us continued our way up the staircase, heading towards our classroom. "I'll just have to be extra careful and stay away from Kou as much as possible. No one should know about my relationship with Kou in this school except you and Asato-senpai and well, Taoka-sensei."

"I hope everything is going to go well for you then. By the way, isn't that noisy friend of yours a fan of him too? How is she going to react?"

"Fumika? Yeah, she's a huge fan back when she was in the same school as Kou," I explained. "She doesn't know my relationship with Kou yet. He actually lied to her that we barely know each other."

"He must have done it to keep you safe but is that a good idea? She's your friend, right? Wouldn't it be bad if she found out about the lie?"

I pondered about this for days too. Fumika has been busy with her journalist club so we didn't spend a lot of time for days already. She was running to the club every chance she got but she made sure to greet me every morning or give me a smile before she ran out of class during lunchtime. I'm sure she still hasn't given up on investigating about the connection between Kou and I though.

"It'll be super bad, I think. But I'm not sure if I should be the one that exposed Kou actually lied."

Sendoh tilted his head as we walked past a few students in the hallway. "I'm sure you'll be handle it well. Don't get all stress about that now. Hey, we've reached your classroom."

"Isn't that Sendoh?" someone shouted and I glanced towards the voice.

Standing just outside my classroom was Hiroaki Koshino. It was the guy from the first basketball meeting and coincidentally, he's from my class too but we've never talked. He sat on the other side of the room and normally hangs out with the other guy classmates.

He walked towards us and gave Sendoh a wide smile. "Morning, Sendoh. What brings you here?"

"Morning, Hiroaki," Sendoh greeted. "Just passing by."

"Oh?" Hiroaki regarded me with a nod then turned back towards Sendoh. "Will you be going to the training later?"

"Definitely. Wouldn't miss it," Sendoh grinned.

"If that's the case, do you mind to help me with my lay up shot?"

"Of course. There's a trick to it," Sendoh replied. Just then, the school bell rang loudly across the hallway. "Ah shoot, I'm late! I'll see you later, Hiroaki."

Before Sendoh ran off, he gave me a pat on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow, Sasaki. Bye."

With that, he took off into the the crowd. When I turned to the front, my eyes met Hiroaki's. Awkwardly, I bowed my head.

"You're in my class, aren't you? If I remember correctly, you're Sasaki Yuki, right?" Hiroaki asked nicely. I nodded my head. "I'm Hiroaki Koshino. Nice to meet you, Sasaki-san."

"Nice to meet you too, Hiroaki-san," I replied back, using the same honorific.

"Come on. Let's go. Sensei will be here soon."

"O-Okay," I said and he led the way into the classroom.

As soon as I stepped into the classroom, all eyes were on us but again, specifically, the girls are the ones looking at me. I tried my best to ignore the discomforting stare and whispers as I made my way to my seat. I stopped at Fumika's seat to greet her.

"Good morning, Fumika."

Instead of the normal lit up and happy face, she looked up at me hesitantly with a blank expression.

"Good morning," she replied back and her tone was completely different from her usual cheerful voice. It was void of any emotions.

Feeling confused, I was about to ask more questions but right then, Miyuki-sensei entered the classroom so I quickly scurried away to my seat.

"Morning, everyone," Sensei greeted us.

"Morning, Sensei," everyone replied in unison.

Sensei then began to take the attendance as I settled down in my seat. But I could still feel the heavy gaze around me. My head was going wild and my heartbeat was beating rapidly. What was going on? Why are the girls staring at me like they were about to rip my head off? Was it really because of Kou but this wouldn't have affected the rest of the girls in my class, right? Has the rumour spread that far? Or maybe... Maybe they found out the truth about Sara? No way, right?

The sensation from the past which I had not felt for a long time were seeping back into me. I thought I had escaped it after coming here but maybe they know. They finally know the truth.

My breathing became raspy and my throat dried up. My hands trembled and sweat formed on my head. My hands instinctively gripped the edge of my skirt. Images formed in my head and my head throbbed in pain.

"-can you hear me? Sasaki!"

Jolted, I looked up and Miyuki-sensei, my homeroom teacher was calling me. She was glaring at me furiously but turned soft momentarily.

"Are you daydreaming? Actually, you looked kind of pale. Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to rest in the nurse's office? I can write up a pass for you right now."

I looked around and I still feel uncomfortable. Figuring I wouldn't be able to focus in class, I should just go to the nurse's office and hide for a while. Besides, my body was still exhausted. It's a good excuse to ditch class especially when I had no idea what was going on.

I stood up. "Yes, Sensei. That would be great."

"Alright, come here," she said. I grabbed my bag and head to the front while Miyuki-sensei scribbled quickly onto a pink paper before passing it to me.

"This is only until lunch but if you still feel unwell until then, come and see me. I'll send you right home, understand?"

"Yes, thank you, Sensei," I bowed my head and walked out the door.

Sensei then continued taking the class attendance as she called my other classmates' names. As I turned around to close the door, I had a quick glance around and everyone's focus were on me including Hiroaki's. Fumika was also looking at me but as soon as our eyes met, she turned away. But her eyes wasn't like the rest of the girl which gave off a sinister vibe. It was actually sad. And sympathy?

With a heavy heart, I slid the door shut and walked alone down the hallway.


	15. Chapter 15

"You're unwell?" Kawari-sensei, the school nurse asked as she scanned me from top to bottom. Her eyes squinted suspiciously. "Show me your slip."

I handed her the slip and stood still as I took in the surrounding. The room was quite spacious and it had fours beds with turquoise curtain dividers separating them. There was a cabinet filled with medicines on the side of the room and a stand on another which had a stethoscope hanging on it. The room is really cold and it actually had 2 air conditioners. I'm really surprised Kawari-sensei can handle this cold.

I turned back to the school nurse. Kawari-sensei had short curly brown hair which matched her brown blouse, hidden underneath the white coat. She was short, thin and actually quite pretty looking but her make-up was a bit too thick especially her red lipstick was too sparkly. She must be in her 40s based on her dress style and appearance.

She was leaning over the long white table as she checked the pink slip word by word. I'm guessing there were students that had used fake slips in the past to make her this suspicious. I waited quietly, eyeing longingly at the white bed that felt soft and comfortable. I just wanted to lie on top of it and not think of anything.

She finally looked away from the slip and focused on me. "This slip looks legit and since Miyuki-sensei is the one that gave it to you, I'll believe you're not lying. Tell me, what's wrong with you?"

I wasn't going to tell her about the panic attack that almost happened just now. "I have a very bad headache, Sensei. Feels like it was going to explode."

My left hand gripped the side of my head and it wasn't hard to pretend because it was partly true.

The nurse pursed her lips. "You do look sick. Does this happens a lot?"

"Once in a while. It will just occur suddenly."

"Alright, do you need any medications?" she said and she reached for a file. Then she began writing something on it.

"No, I think I just need to lie down for a while," I explained.

She shot me another look. "Don't want any? Are you sure?"

I nodded my head. "I had already taken some medication this morning. I think I just need some rest."

"Very well then. You can take the bed on the end," she said and pointed the bed by the window. "Draw the curtain around to cover yourself."

"Thank you, Sensei."

I walked towards the bed. I set my bag aside, grabbed the silky curtain and pull it around. As soon as I put my weight on the bed, it made a loud creaking noise. I quickly slipped underneath the blanket, hoping to guard myself against the strong wind emitted by the air conditioners.

As my body hit the bed and my head was on the soft pillow, I instantly felt exhausted and my body was heavy. The back of my arm rested on my head, hoping to clear some of the pain away.

Did they actually find out about my past from Tonari Junior High already? It doesn't make sense though because only the girls were giving me the stink eye.

It must be Kou but then again, it can't be just because of him, right? There's no way that Kou has such a wide fan base that can actually influence everyone including the juniors, right? We were here for less than 2 weeks so the juniors shouldn't know about Kou unless they were all just like Fumika that has been a loyal fan of his since Junior High.

Argh. My mind was going crazy just thinking about it. I need to rest and maybe with a clearer mind, I can piece everything together. I closed my eyes forcefully and emptied the thoughts in my head. In the darkness, I latched on to one of my happiest memories and reminiscence the good old times.

"Are you sure he's coming?" Sara asked as we stood at the entrance of the elementary school gate. "We've been waiting quite a while. Perhaps you're got the time wrong?"

"Nope, he made it extremely clear about the time we were supposed to meet. He literally drilled it into my head yesterday as he kept repeating over and over and over again," I grumpily looked at my digital watch that father gave me a few days ago for my birthday. "If he's not here in the next 5 minutes, I'm leaving."

"Maybe he has an emergency basketball training? Didn't you mention the regionals match is approaching soon?"

"Yes but he said there's no basketball meeting today. He's been training like mad for the past few days. Even when there's no training in the club, he'll drag me along and continue practicing. So I'm kinda glad we're just hanging out today. He needs a break."

"Awww, it's sweet how you are worried about him. You and Shiroma-san would make such a cute couple, you know? I still don't understand how are you not interested in him. He's so handsome and cool. Do you have any idea how many girls are dying to be in your shoes just to spend some time with him?" Sara asked.

"I know too well how the girls are nuts about him but again, there's nothing between me and Kou. Besides, he's not as perfect as he looks. He's mean, rude and annoying. No one truly understands Kou's true side as much as me and trust me, he's not attractive at all."

"Who's not attractive?" Kou asked suddenly as he braked his bicycle just next to me.

"You," I replied immediately as I whirled around towards him. "You're late!"

"I'm sorry. There was... something I had to take care of," he replied as he glanced around cautiously.

I folded my arms and pouted. "Not an excuse. Can't you take care of it earlier? You already know you had to meet me."

"Come on, Yuki. I'm really sorry. It's all because of...," Kou paused for a while and his face was conflicted like he wasn't sure if he should say it. "It's just not easy to ditch those girls. They appeared out of nowhere."

My anger diminished immediately upon those words. Kou was bugged by the girls everyday so I knew how hard it was already on him. I felt bad to put more pressure on him. "Ah, that. Well, fine then. But you're going to have to treat me to some taiyaki if you want me to forgive you."

"Yeah, yeah," he grinned then turn towards Sara. "Hi, Nishioka. We meet again. Will you be joining us?"

I'd introduced both of them to each other last week when Kou was picking me up for training. They immediately hit it off as they kept teasing me and shared embarrassing stories of mine which was amusing to them but not to me at all.

"No, Shiroma-san. I'm just accompanying Yuki for a while. I actually need to go home soon."

"You really can't follow us? Come on, it's going to be fun," I urged Sara. "Why do you have to go home to meet your sister so urgently anyway? Don't you see each other every day?"

"Oh, you have a sister?" Kou tilted his head.

"Yeah," Sara nodded her head. "My sister is from the same school as you."

"Really? I didn't notice anyone else with the surname, Nishioka."

"I'm not surprised. My sister is a year older than you so I'm sure you have never seen her before. She's heard of you though. The Rising Dunker of Tonari."

Kou chuckled awkwardly. "Seriously? Even your sister knows that nickname? Man, that's embarassing."

"What's there to be embarrassed about? You're that good of a player. You should be proud."

"Anyway, thanks for the compliment," Kou replied with a wide grin.

My watch alarm suddenly rang and Sara jolted upwards.

"What time is it already?" Sara turned to me frantically.

"2.30pm," I said as I switched off the beeping alarm.

"Okay, I have to go. I'll see you guys soon. Bye!" she exclaimed and without waiting for a response, she swirled around and ran off down the street until she disappeared.

"That was fast," I muttered then turned to Kou. "Shall we go then?"

"Yep, hop on," Kou gestured his head to the back of his bicycle.

I grabbed on to his left shoulder and positioned my legs on the bike pegs.

"Oi, tomboy. Can't you just sit down obediently on the seat for once? You're wearing a skirt today. What if someone take a peek under there?"

"I wore some shorts and as you have mentioned countless time that no guys will be interested in someone with a shapeless body like mine so you don't have to sorry about that," I replied as I adjusted my stands on the bike pegs and made sure I was balanced. "It's much more thrilling to stand on the bike to feel the wind and enjoy the view. Your body is literally blocking both of them from happening."

"Fine, fine," he said and began pedaling slowly. "Make sure you hold on tight and don't fly off. I wouldn't want to explain to your parents that I've lost you because you were so skinny that the the wind took you away."

We passed by some passing students and went down through a quiet street. Once he hits the bump, my grip on his shoulders tighten to stay upright as I was jolted upwards. Then he picked up his speed and the wind rushed to my face which was both welcoming and exhilarating.

It had actually been a while since Kou took me out for a ride so I was enjoying it. There were many things happening lately so I was glad that Kou was just the same as ever.

He cycled for quite a while, longer than usual. We went into a street that I had not seen before so I bent over to ask him where we were. It might have been the wrong move because we lost balance instantly but luckily Kou was fast to react and I was thin enough for the bike to regain its balance.

"Idiot! What were you doing?" Kou shouted but he didn't stop cycling.

"Sorry! I just wanted to ask where are we going. I thought we were heading to the Rokka street?"

"We're going somewhere else so stay still and don't budge around anymore," he replied and the rest of his words were barely audible as my ears were filled with the swooshing of the wind as he sped down the road.

He made turns left and right from time to time. We went into a busy street that was bustling with people strolling around as they visited shops from row to row. It was pretty regular but we passed by a few shops that had unique concepts and themes which caught my interest. I wouldn't mind to try one of these stores someday.

Kou's speed slowed down and he came to a stop in front of a store. This store was simple in design in comparison with its neighbouring shops. Its wall were painted yellow with a simple banner hanging right above its glass door. The banner had "Mirai Cafe" written on it and beneath it was a 'Closed' sign.

"Alright, we're here," Kou said.

"This shop?" I pointed at the yellow shop. "But it's closed."

"Don't worry about it. Get off first," he said and using Kou as a support, I got off safely on the ground. Then he left his bike just on the side of the store and guided me through the unlocked store entrance. The bell chimed lightly as he opened the door.

"Sorry, we're not-," a soft voice rang across the store and it revealed a young teenager behind the counter with a warm smile. "Shiroma! You came!"

The young teenager had tousled black hair and wore a pair of square glasses. He was very tall, lean and his shoulders were broad. He wore a white shirt beneath the red apron.

"Hi, Yoshikuni-san," Kou greeted. "Let me just quickly introduce this girl to you first. This is Sasaki Yuki, my childhood friend I told you about. Yuki, this is a senior from Baraki High School, Yoshikuni Itaru. I met him playing basketball."

"Konnichiwa, Yoshikuni-san. Nice to meet you," I said and gave him a polite bow.

"Nice to meet you too, Sasaki-chan. Come in, come in. Have a seat right here,"

Yoshikuni-san gestured to the empty chairs by his counter. Kou led the way and as I followed, I glanced around. Exactly the same as his style out front, the inside was also simple with the same shade of yellow. The furniture were matte and white in colour. A few landscape paintings hanged on the side and a few flower plants scattered around the corners of the room. I'll admit, despite the simplicity and plainness, I feel comfortable being here.

As we passed by the counter, my legs came to a stop automatically in front of the food display and my breath was taken away. It was filled with colourful cakes - chocolates, vanilla, tiramisu, fruit and so many other flavours. Unlike the store, the decorations on the cakes were elegant and pretty with creams, icing, glaze and more.

"Wow," I admired in awe. Uncontrollably, my hands and face were pressing on the glass display. "They are perfect."

Yoshikuni-san laughed happily. "Thank you for your praise. None of my guy friends had reaction like yours. That's why I definitely need a girl like you. You've made my day, Sasaki-chan."

My grin grew wider. "Can I eat this?"

"Of course! That's why Shiroma brought you here. Eat all you want. It's coming out of his pocket, anyway. Right, Shiroma?"

"Really?" I looked at Kou hopefully.

Kou scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah. You're too thin anyway. I figured some cake can fatten you up."

I would have normally retorted back at him but my mood was so lit up that I just let it slide. Instead, I gave him my broadest smile.

"Tell me, Sasaki-chan. Which cake would you like to try first?" Yoshikuni-san asked.

"This one!" I pointed excitedly at a white cake slice with strawberry, blueberry and cherry sitting on top of it. There was a spiral of chocolate just resting above the fruits.

"The Fruity Delight it is," Yoshikuni-san grabbed it with a pair of tongs and set them on the plate. "How about you, Shiroma?"

"Any chocolate flavour cake will do," Kou replied and sat down on the chair with an amused expressions.

"The Choc Mezz then. Alright, go on and have a seat, Sasaki-chan. I'll bring the cakes over to you guys," Yoshikuni-san said. Giddily, I ran and sat beside Kou.

Yoshikuni-san approached us later with a tray of cakes and teas. He set them accordingly in front of us and it looked absolutely appetizing.

"Go on, dig in," Yoshikuni-san said.

I grabbed my spoon and was ready to sink my teeth onto the cake but Kou held my eating hand back. "Hold your horses. There's one more thing," he said then turned to Yoshikuni-san. "Yoshikuni-san. Do you have the—,"

Before Kou finished his sentence, Yoshikuni-san smacked his right fist on his left hand as though he just remembered something. He began digging the right pocket of his red apron and then pulled out a lighter and a pink candle.

"I heard from Shiroma that your birthday was a few days ago," he said as he planted the candle on the cake and lit it on fire. "Happy belated birthday!"

I turned to Kou astonishingly. "You remember? I thought you have forgotten all about it because of your regionals match."

"I would never dare to miss your birthday! I was just too busy to find you so I couldn't celebrate with you on time," Kou explained. "I'm sorry about that. Well, at least now we can do it. But thank you for not getting mad at me. Who would have guess you actually have a forgiving side."

"Hah! I was actually gonna make you suffer after your game," I stuck my tongue out.

"Fine, do your worst then," he sighed but regained his warm smile. "Happy birthday, Yuki. Now, make your wish."

I closed my eyes, clasped my hand and made my wish.

The loud creaking sound startled me back to reality as my eyes fluttered open. I glanced over to the right from where the sound came from. It seems there's someone else just beside me.

Then I heard another sound from the nurse's direction, accompanied by muffled voices. Soon, footsteps resounded across the room was getting louder and was actually approaching me. Could it be Miyuki-sensei coming to check on me?

I sat up, prepared to greet her but when the curtain slid aside, it revealed the face of Fumika with a solemn expression.

"Hey," she said.


	16. Chapter 16

Fumika sat on the other end of the bed and stared out the window, checking out students running in the fields. Both of us had remained quiet and still for quite a while. What was she doing here? It was actually quite a stressing situation because Fumika was always the one that talks while I listen. Now, it was just total silence but her dark expression had already sent a message.

Couldn't stand the silence, I braced myself and spoke up. "Fumika, I—"

"Did you lie to me?" she asked and her eyes never left the window.

I was taken aback with her straightforward question and looked down at my clasped hands in shame.

I didn't answer straightaway because I wasn't sure how. I didn't exactly lie to her. It was actually Kou that lied about our relationship but I didn't deny it in the first place so in a way, I did lie to her.

"Yes," I replied.

"Why?" she asked immediately.

"We thought we had to."

"Why?"

I bit my lips and hesitated. "It's complicated, Fumika."

"Try then," she pressed.

"It's not that simple."

Her head snapped towards me in fury. "Yuki, I'm giving you a chance to explain now. I hate this situation as much as you but I need to get some answers. I'm used to people lying to me as a journalist but not from you. Not from my friend. It's one thing to withhold information but another to twist the story."

Guilt built in me and I forced myself to looked straight into her eyes. I can't keep lying like this especially not to her. She's my first friend here in Ryonan. I don't feel like losing any friends anymore. "I might not be able to tell you everything but where do you want me to start?"

"What's your real relationship to Shiroma-sama?"

"We were childhood friends that grew up together. He was my neighbor and our parents are friends. We hung out a lot and that's how we became close. He is... my best friend and like a big brother I never had."

"Did you lie about both of you were in the same school before he went to Wazai? Or maybe you're not even from Tonari Junior High?"

"I was. That was true. When I entered Tonari Junior High, Kou was still there but only for a few weeks. Then something happened and he had to leave and ended up on this region. You know the rest more than me. We completely lost contact for years until I came here and reunited with him which was not planned at all. It just happened by coincidence."

"What were you doing with him for the past few days?"

"We had... matters to talk about. Matters from the past."

"Why did you guys have to lie about your relationship then?"

I gripped the bed sheet. "Back when I was still in elementary school, I was used and taken advantage quite a number of time by some fan girls of Kou just to get close to him or get more information about him. We didn't take it very seriously at that time and let it be because there was no harm done but we did made it very clear about both of our relationship." I explained as the old memories floated into my head. "But one time, some of the fan girls took it too far and ever since then Kou tried to keep a safe distance from me as much as possible because he was worried about the fan girls might go overboard again. That's why when he found out you're his fan, he got worried that history may repeat itself again."

"Oh," she blurted. Her expression immediately softened to astonishment.

"I know we were wrong to lie to you but Kou was just trying to protect me. I'm sorry."

She closed her eyes and her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. She remained still for a few seconds when suddenly, she jumped on her feet and thundered towards me. She grabbed my shoulders and then shook me rigorously.

"Darn it! I was upset over nothing! I am so sorry, Yuki! I shouldn't have doubted you but those rumours and that thing drove me nuts and then when I noticed you were lying to me, I was so frustrated that I didn't know what to do so I kept thinking why would you lie to me because it didn't make sense since you're my friend," she said without stopping for a breath. "Then I thought maybe you hate me for leaving you alone for the past few days or maybe you and Shiroma-sama decided to steer clear away from me because I wanted some scopes for my journalist club but at least I know it was none of that and I was overthinking it."

I wasn't sure how to respond but luckily, she continued.

"I know, I know, I shouldn't doubted you but there were just so many uncertainties about you and then when people told me how they saw you with Shiroma-sama and Asato-senpai talking to you, Shiroma-sama and Sendoh almost got into a fight because of you, Shiroma-sama and Sendoh chased you out of a gym and—,"

"Woah, Fumika. Hold on, one thing at a time. You're too fast. What exactly are people telling you?"

"Alright, let me begin from the very start," she took a deep breath and breathe out. "I'm sure you must have noticed that people are giving you a weird look today. Did you?"

"Yep, lots of stink eyes and whispers. I'm assuming it has something to do with Kou?"

"Kou. What a sweet way to call Shiroma-sama," she was in her dreamland zone with a dazed expression. It was amusing to see how her mood can easily swing from moody to cheerful with a snap of a finger. "I wonder if I will ever get the chance to call him that way. Do you think he'll allow it?"

"Focus, Fumika."

She snapped back to the reality again. "Right, sorry. Anyway, yes, it's partly because of Shiroma-sama but others too."

"Others?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"Sendoh, Asato-senpai and just now when you came in with Hiroaki-san, it may have aggravated the others too."

"Wait, I don't understand. Why them too? Other than Sendoh, I barely talked to the others in public."

"Let me break it down slowly for you. Do you know that Ryonan is famous for their basketball team and we are currently the best four in the region? In fact, it has been more than 10 years since Ryonan had held this spot. Based on your shocked reaction, I'm sure you're not even aware of this until now. Anyway, that's why the basketball players here are idolized by many because of this accomplishment. I'm sure you can already guess when there's such fame, it comes with fan girls and here in Ryonan, the girls are quite fanatic which is crazy. Imagine this is coming me, the hardcore fan of Shiroma-sama. Understand?"

"Okay, I'm with you so far. Please continue."

"Now, you are practically hanging out with the basketball players which is every girl's dream in this school. The fan girls are very loyal and committed to these players so when the fans saw you with the basketball team, they were definitely not happy. Do you have any idea how many fans does Shiroma-sama and Asato-senpai have? A lot!"

I guess I was right then. It has something to do with all this fan girls.

"What about Sendoh and Hiroaki-san then? We have just entered the school and I'm sure most of the girls haven't seen them in action yet to be their followers, right?" I asked.

"They had fans from Junior high which happened to have enrolled into Ryonan too. Some of the girls in our class are from the same school as Hiroaki so that's why you were receiving dagger stares just now."

"Then it doesn't make any sense. I felt it from all the girls from the moment I stepped into school and all the way into the classroom. There's no way all of the girls in Ryonan are basketball fans, right?"

"Even if they are not a fan of basketball, you have already become a subject."

"Subject for what?"

She fidgeted nervously then began digging for something in her pocket. She pulled out a crumpled white paper and handed to me.

"Read this and you'll understand."

I opened the crumpled paper slowly and it revealed a huge title, 'The Slutty Freshman' with my name just next to it which was written rather nastily. Skimming through the contents, I finally understood why all the girls hate me. The main story in this paper is how I was seducing my way into the basketball team and was using them. It detailed how I was somewhat of a play girl and will just pick up any guys I lay my eyes on. It explained how my presence in this school is a humiliation and can put all the guys in danger of my clutches. At the end of the page, there was an instruction in bold to boycott me and refrain from speaking to me in order to teach me a lesson.

Man, this was even worse than Kou's old fans but it was an improvement compared to how the others called me after the incident with Sara.

"So this was the reason I got a cold shoulder from you this morning," I let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's not that, Yuki. It was the lie," she sank down on the bed then gave me an earnest look. "I don't care if you hang out with all the guys from basketball team because that means they were attracted to who you are, just like me. It's your right to be friends with whoever you want because that's your social life. It's one thing to admire someone but another thing to try and take control of their life and decide who they can or cannot involve with. That's the problem with these fan girls that has lost their mind. Anyway, in conclusion, what I was angry about was the lie, not because you were with Shiroma-sama but I have to admit I am green of envy about that fact."

I chuckled softly. Who would have guess Fumika, the girl crazy about Kou would have made a statement like this.

"Thank you, Fumika for your understanding."

"We're friends after all," she winked then turned serious. "Back to the matter at hand, you do have a challenge right now. All of the girls could be targeting you. I'm not sure what they will do to you but you're not safe. Boycott should be the least of your worries."

I stared at the paper and read its title again. "How come the guys are not affected by this? Surely they would have acted the same way the girls does, right? With all the staring and pointing."

"Ah, that's because this stupid flyer was only passed around among the girls. It seems they were trying to prevent this paper from reaching the eyes of the basketball team players. Maybe they are unsure how the guys will react."

This time I crumpled the paper. Yep, Kou definitely can't find out about this. I can't let him get involved again. Why is my life so full of drama?

"You got any idea who wrote this?" I asked Fumika as I passed her back that paper.

"Yeah, a senior from my journalist club. Die hard fan of Shiroma-sama's. I was one of the first few to receive this flyer from her. She has quite a wide network so distributing this in just one morning was a piece of cake to her."

"I see," I said. Looks like I have to steer clear away from the basketball team as much as possible.

"Yuki, can you tell me exactly what's your connection to the basketball team now? I can understand why Shiroma-sama is close to you but why Asato-senpai, Hiroaki and Sendoh?"

"I met Asato-senpai on the first day of school when I reunited with Kou and they are best friends so they are always together. Nothing about Hiroaki-san. I just entered the classroom with him together by chance, that's all. Sendoh is," I paused as I recalled how he had referred to me several times. "My friend. A really nice friend."

"How did you and Sendoh end up becoming friends? Shiroma-sama introduced him to you?"

"That's a long story. I'll tell you all about it next time."

"What exactly were you doing with them? The girls mentioned they saw you with Shiroma-sama, Sendoh and Asato-senpai were arguing over you yesterday morning and by evening, they saw both of them chased after you when you left the gym."

"Also, a long story. I'll tell you next round. For now, I need to ask you a favour. Fumika, you should boycott me too."

"What? Why?" she looked offended. "You think I'm just going to leave you alone to deal with those witches?"

"You're not safe as long as you're with me. If you're around me, you might get caught up in their schemes because that flyer isn't their only move. I'm sure they have more things up in their sleeves."

"You're going to be all alone. That's not fair. It was all just a big misunderstanding. Maybe if I explain to that senior, she'll understand and resolve this whole issue."

I shook my head. "It doesn't work that way. I've dealt with fan girls before and a hostile one like this. They won't believe whatever I say because in their head, I'm the enemy while Kou and the basketball players belong to them."

"I really don't see how me staying away will resolve things but I'm not going to let you deal with this alone. Yuki, we're friends. Something tells me you're not going to let Shiroma-sama and the other guys know about this at all. That's why, you need me! Us girls need to stick together. Besides, I'm the only person that knows what's really going on now. I can't leave you alone to fend for yourself. I'm quite a smart and sneaky person when I have to be. I can protect myself so don't worry about me."

"But—," I started to object but was cut off by her.

"No buts. I don't care. I'm going to cling on to you and keep my eyes on you. I don't care what they say or what they are going to do to me. I'm not going to boycott you."

I sighed but I actually do feel relieved that Fumika was so nice about all this. "Fine but as soon as it becomes even more intense and dangerous, you must stay away, got it?"

"We will see about that," she grinned. "What about Shiroma-sama and the others?"

"I need to keep a safe distance from them. If the girls noticed that I'm not around them anymore, they might just let all this go."

Yes, this is for the best. I just have to avoid them as much as possible. I have to minimize my presence around the basketball. Kou and Asato-senpai would be easy but problem is Sendoh. How do I explain to him that I can't walk with him to school starting tomorrow? I'll have to come up with a plan later. I can't let these drama to erupt again.

"Are you sure it's going to be that simple?"

"We'll have to try. Plus, they are going to be busy with training soon anyway so even if I want to see them, I'm sure I won't see them for... a... while...," I drifted off as I just remembered about Sunday. "Ah, hell. The team manager."

"Team manager?"

"Well, I might," I cleared my throat. "Might become the basketball team's manager."

"What?!" Fumika squealed excitedly. "You're going to become the team manager? That way, you'll become closer to the team and since we're friends, I might be there too so it means I'll also get the chance to become closer to Shiroma-sama and the other players then! Oh, thank you, Yuki!"

Okay, many girls in the past became my friend with hidden motive to become closer to Kou. At least Fumika was honest about it which was admirable and I felt more secured about this friendship.

"It might not happen. We're still waiting for Taoka-sensei's decision. But if I did get it, it could be bad news. The girls would have an additional reason to be even more enraged."

"Setting those girls' jealousy aside, it's still a cool thing. Imagine if you are the team manager! This would be an life-changing article for me to write. In the history of Ryonan, there has never been any manager role in the sports club. You're going to be the first. I'm so going to interview you for the article. Then, I might be able to secure a spot as the editor for the basketball column!" Fumika's eyes glittered in excitement.

"Alright, if that happens then but let's not go too far. Fumika, you need to keep this a secret first. We won't know what's going to happen if the girls hear about this."

"Very well then, I'll keep my mouth sealed. Besides, who can I tell? You're the only real friend for me."

"Why? Why just me?" I asked curiously.

Her gaze turned serious. "Because you're my first friend in Ryonan. I instantly felt connected to you and I just know we're going to be close friends. Remember when I mentioned about this on the first day? I wasn't just saying it. I meant it. I'm not the type that has many friends even back in my old school. I am a very talkative person so no one can stand the real me so I tend to hold myself back. But, with you, I don't sense any judgement or fakeness in your eyes when we talked so I felt comfortable around you. That's why I told myself I can't lose such a genuine friend like you. Even when just now I was angry, I kept telling myself you deserved a chance to explain because I'm sure you have a good reason so that's how I mustered my courage to come here."

"Look, Fumika. I'm not as great as the way you describe me," I said and held the blanket closer to me. "I am quite messed up too. I can't tell you what is wrong with me yet because I'm not mentally prepared for it."

"I know, I could sense it," she said and my head snapped towards her direction. "There's sadness in you and your mind tends to be in the distant sometimes. I didn't say anything because I don't want to overstepped the line so I decided to give you some space."

My eyes widened. So she could feel it. She just didn't being it up because she was being understanding. Even though she had shared so much about herself with me, she still knows me better than I know her. I need to put more effort in this friendship.

"Fumika, thank you. I'll tell you one day. For sure."

"Now, let's be messed up together and get through our years in high school together! Let's make things clear between us now," Fumika said as she inched closer to me. "I will never doubt you again and could you promise not to lie to me? I don't mind you not telling me things though it'll drive me crazy to want to know because of my journalist side but I'll bear with it. You can also trust whatever you tell me will remain secret and will never be published in any materials without your consent. I also won't let my admiration for Shiroma-sama to affect our friendship. What do you say?"

I winced at that last statement because Sara's face immediately popped into my head. I pushed it aside and focused my attention on Fumika.

"Works for me. No more lies. I'll be as honest as possible."

The school bell rang and Fumika jumped up immediately. "Ah! Self-study period is over. I need to go back to class now for Language," she said. "I'm glad we're okay now. Are you feeling better, by the way?"

"Yeah, I'll be back by lunch later."

"Great! Then let's eat together. I'll see you in class. You can tell me all about you and Sendoh. Hehe," she chuckled. "Okay, I'll see you later. Bye!"

She flung the curtains aside and bolted out of my sights.

"Hey! No running!" shouted Kawari-sensei strictly. Her voice was barely audible from my distance though.

I was ready to tuck myself back into bed when I heard movement from the bed on the other side of the curtain. Darn it. Could the person beside us have overheard our conversation? I can only hope it's not those fan girls.

Suddenly, the curtain on my side was swinging as though someone had trouble pulling the curtain. Then suddenly, there was a small opening on the end of the curtain closest to me. The gap slowly widened and it revealed a familiar face through the curtain and his sleepy eyes locked with mine.

"Weren't you supposed to stay out of trouble?" he asked with his smooth voice as he entire being stepped through the curtain gap. "But I guess trouble just can't stay away from you, huh?"

He was wrapped in the same blanket as mine and walked towards me. He stood tall, hovering over me by my bed and all I could do was stared in shock. What was he doing here?

"Planning to stay away from us?" Sendoh asked. "Luckily I eavesdropped then."


	17. Chapter 17

Sendoh was standing in front of me and it actually took me a moment to recognize him. The blanket wrapped him whole, covering his spiky hair and all the way to his knees, only revealing his face. It was his deep eyes and the usual grin that made me realized it was actually Sendoh himself in the flesh.

"S-S-Sendoh?!" I exclaimed in panic. "W-W-What?! W-W-Why?!"

"Shhhh, not so loud," his finger laid on his lips. "The nurse might hear us. I don't think she'll approve both of us in here."

He was right. A boy and girl alone behind the closed curtain will cause controversy even though we were in a co-ed school. I glanced anxiously towards Kawari-sensei's direction. No sound or movement so means we're safe. Then I turned back to Sendoh.

"What are you doing here?" I asked and lowered my voice to normal this time.

"Same reason as you," he said as he glanced out the window then focused his attention back on me. "Ditching class."

"I wasn't ditching class," I quickly defended myself. "I was..."

Wait, I was about to tell him I was unwell and came here which will just worry him. Definitely can't tell him that.

"You were what?" his right eyebrow arched upwards.

"Catching up on some sleep," I replied. It wasn't completely a lie. I do need some rest.

"Same goes for me," his finger waved around. "That's still skipping class because we're missing our valuable lessons and hiding here."

My shoulders slumped in surrender. "Fine, I was ditching class," I said. Might as well play along then let him think otherwise.

He grinned slyly then motioned his hand as though he was asking me to move aside. "Scoot over your legs and give me some space on your bed."

"H-Huh?" I was shocked by his sudden and weird request. "W-What? W-Why?"

"The nurse might notice my legs through there," he pointed at the little space between the curtain and the floor. "If I am on the bed, she won't know I'm here, am I right?"

"R-right," I quickly withdrew my legs re-positioned myself to sit up against the wall. Then, I pulled the blanket away and wrapped them around me like the way Sendoh did but mine started from the neck.

He slowly climbed onto my bed and made an effort to reduce the creaking noise. He sat the same way I did, crossed legs with the back against the wall. We were sitting quite close together as our shoulders were almost touching. I wasn't sure if he noticed it but I did.

Still, the number one question, what was Sendoh doing here? Did he know I was here so he came to see me? Could Hiroaki-san have told him about me being excused from the classroom? Or maybe he really just wanted to sleep. Then I remembered this morning's conversation.

"Please don't tell me this is the secret to how you always looking so awake and energetic." I frowned at him and his laid back facial expression tells it all. "You cut classes to take a nap?"

"I won't tell you that then," he said then smiled sheepishly. "But, yeah, you're correct."

"Oh my God, Sendoh. Seriously? You come here every day?"

"Actually, no. It's the first time I am here. I have some other spots that I usually go to. I wanted to test a new place today and I figured a clinic has a bed that would be comfortable. Well, I was wrong because but this place is way too cold," he said and shivered underneath the blanket. "Why would the school installed two air-conditioners here?"

I shrugged. "No idea but the nurse doesn't seem to mind it. So, this whole cutting class happens a lot? Where exactly do you go to take a nap?"

"Sasaki, Sasaki. I'm not gonna divulge my secret especially if you're looking to snatch my napping spots. Anyway, back to the reason why I'm sitting here now," he said then turned his head sideways at me. "I heard everything."

"Right from the start?" I asked, hoping he said no.

"Yes, everything. I had only just entered a few minutes earlier than that noisy friend of yours. Man, can she talk. She can keep ranting on and on without even a single full stop. Can a normal human do that?"

"That's Fumika," I chuckled then turned serious. "It's not nice to eavesdrop on others' conversation, you know?"

"It's not like I did it on purpose but the curtain between us is not exactly soundproof. I'll admit, when I heard your voice, I did pay extra attention to the conversation."

"Since you had heard everything already, then at least I don't have to lie to you. Sendoh, let's—"

"No, don't even think about it," Sendoh intercepted me.

"I haven't even finished my sentence."

"I know exactly what you are gonna suggest," he cleared his throat then mimicked a female voice with a way too high pitch note. "Sendoh, let's not walk to school together or talk to each other anymore. People are talking about us already. It's best for us to stay away from each other for now."

Then he turned to me with a pouted face, waiting for my response. I tried my best not to laugh because the way he was looking at me now was like a young kid especially when the blanket had hidden away his tall frame and spiky hair.

I sighed. "Not exactly in that context and voice but yeah, right message."

"Sasaki, it's a stupid suggestion," he said with his normally smooth voice. "It's not going to work in the slightest. You seriously think those girls will just let this all go?"

"At least it's worth a try."

"Exactly how long do you think you can keep this up, huh? Even if I didn't overhear about all this now, the senpais and I are bound to find out about it eventually and do something about it."

"As long as it would take. Sendoh, this is a serious matter. I really have no idea what those girls would do to me. You guys shouldn't get involved."

"Is that it? Are you so worried about yourself? I may have just gotten to know you so I might not know you that well but there's no way you're such a selfish or cowardly person."

"It's not that simple, Sendoh. It's really complicating."

"Make me understand then. Besides, remember what I said yesterday? You have friends here. You don't have to just rely on that noisy friend of yours. The senpais and I can help you too."

"That is exactly the problem, Sendoh. I have friends here," I snapped back and frowned. Darn it, my tired body and mind are lashing out. "I'm sorry, Sendoh. I didn't mean to act so rudely."

He didn't look at all offended but curious in fact. "What do you mean the problem is having friends here?"

I took a deep breath and release it. Might as well just tell him what was really on my mind. "Sendoh, if you see those girls picking on me, what would you do?"

It was his turn to frown at me. "That's obvious, isn't it? Stop them."

"And how exactly would you stop them?"

"I don't know. Scold them? Pull them away? Then we ignore them?"

"If they were hitting me?"

He didn't answer immediately but gave me an intense gaze. "What exactly happened between you and Shiroma-senpai's fangirls? Just how far did they overstep the line?"

I broke the gaze and glanced up at the white ceiling. I wasn't even sure how to tell Sendoh all about it. I didn't tell Fumika because I didn't want to spoil her image towards Kou since she idolizes him so much. Once again, Sendoh didn't make me feel uncomfortable to confide in him so I decided to tell him.

"It's going to be a long story. You sure you want to listen?"

"Yes," he replied and his face was serious.

I took a deep breath and begin.

"I told you this morning that Kou was famous back in his high school and you also heard what I shared with Fumika about his fangirls. So you already know exactly how I was treated. It's either I was pestered or taken advantage of. Well, honestly, I didn't mind at all because it wasn't a big deal. Kou tried his best to protect me by keeping some distance but we were close so there are times that it would still be unavoidable. Be that as it may, we still hung out met whenever we had the chance. Until that one girl that almost ruined his life."

"That girl was from the same school as Kou and she was jealous that he and I were close. Back then, I was still in elementary school and Kou was in Junior high. One day, she lured me to their school, saying Kou had an accident. So I got worried and went there without any hesitation. There were no signs of Kou. Instead, I found a few other girls and guys waiting there for me."

"What happened next was fast. The guys surrounded me and began pushing me. They shoved me from one guy to another guy. The girls were shouting at me to stay away from Kou and to stop manipulating him. I didn't even have the chance to explain anything and was trying to fend them off Then some of the girls joined in and took turns slapping me."

I glanced over to Sendoh. He had a hard expression and there was movement underneath his blanket.

"I finally found my voice and begin to scream for help. Then, I heard loud shouting from the side. Kou and his basketball team players raced towards us. Then a fight broke out. The girls were slapped, then they screamed and backed away. The guys were throwing punches at each other. The bullies tried to run away but the basketball team players were too angry to let any of them escape."

"Finally, it attracted the school security and before long, the teachers arrived and they broke up the fight. Needless to say, all of us got sent to the headmaster to be punished. Parents arrived in school and mine was freaking out when they saw my face had scratch marks and bruises. They demanded the bullies be kicked out of school and the headmaster did it. As for the basketball players, while they had good intentions to save me, they still got into a fight which was against the school policy. In the end, they were suspended from school for a few days."

"But Kou did the most damage and the headmaster wasn't going easy on him. He broke one of the guy's arm and smashed another guy's tooth out. He was going to be kicked out of school but I explained that he was just trying to save me. All of the basketball players then begged along with us and with a united stand, they threatened to leave the school if Kou was forced to leave. The parents had to put in good words to help Kou so he escaped the punishment but it was a close call."

"The next day, Kou came to my house and apologized for putting me in danger. He felt really guilty and he blamed himself for it. I had to keep convincing him it wasn't his fault. He was planning to walk away from my life but we had a long talk and let's just say we came to an understanding."

"Ever since then, we were more cautious and avoided being seen in public together as much possible to prevent the same thing from happening again. We begin to find secluded and unknown places to hang out or train, even if the place was very far away. Though Kou and I were hanging out less, we were still close. But I'll admit, it kinda hurts when he pretended he doesn't know me when we're around his friends or in front of his fangirls. He treats me differently and almost like a stranger or just a very regular friend. I know it was for my own good so I accepted it reluctantly."

"Well, that's the whole story," I said. "Do you understand why I had to do this now? If Kou had done more damage that day, he would have been kicked out from school or worse, sent to the disciplinary center. What would have happened to him?"

"I see. You weren't being selfish or coward," Sendoh responded and his expression turned gentle. "You were worried that the senpais and I might do something if we see you getting picked on. Then, we would have gotten into trouble."

I nodded my head. "Unless you can promise to stand idly by and not lift a finger, then fine, we can continue to hang out. But you couldn't now, could you?"

Sendoh's head rested against the wall behind him and bit his lips. "You are right. I couldn't."

"Exactly, that's why I have to stay away from you guys. I don't know if it works but I have to give it a try. I have to."

Sendoh didn't respond immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes like he was thinking of something then before long, he sat up properly and faced me. "Sasaki, I am going to let you do your way and stay away from you but I'm not going to let this last for long. Honestly, I wouldn't mind getting into trouble for you but for your sake, I'll try to avoid it too because I'm more worried you might just end up getting hurt by them."

Good, he finally understands. At least they'll be safe now. For some kind of reason, hearing that he was willing to get into trouble for me made me feel secured and happy.

"Thank—," I started.

"Don't," Sendoh stopped me. "It's not something to be grateful about. If I have a choice, I would never go with your plan. You have no idea how much I don't want to go through this."

"I'm sor—,"

"No," he stopped me again. "It's not even your fault. Don't you dare apologize Let's just consider you're unlucky to have known us. This wouldn't have happened to you if it wasn't for us in the first place. If there's anyone that needs to apologize for this, it's us. We should have never approached you. That way, none of this would have happened."

I gazed down at my legs. I was kinda sad and lonely now that Sendoh mentioned that. It felt like my life is nothing but trouble to people but he was right, they should have stayed away. If they had, they wouldn't have to get dragged into this messed up life of mine.

Then I felt a tap on my head and I glanced up, wondering why the knock felt different. It was gentle and soft.

"Idiot, why are you looking so sad for?" he asked. "I'm still glad to have known you, Sasaki. If time were to reset itself back to the day I met you, I would still have chosen to be your friend. So stop beating yourself up because of us. We wanted this. Besides, life with a little drama ain't that bad. It feels like an adventure to me."

My tears were on the verge of spilling out as my heart was touched by his words. Damn it, Sendoh. He was just too sweet and kind.

"Thank you, Sendoh. Thank you," I wiped away the tears that escaped from my eyes.

"Now then," Sendoh straightened up. "Let us give this distancing a try for a while. But I'm still going to do something about your situation."

"What are you planning?"

"Not sure yet," he replied. "But I'm sure there has to be s solution to this. By the way, what are you going to tell the senpais?"

I thought for a while. "Nothing. I'm not going to see him until this Sunday anyway. I think that there's no one else staying in our neighborhood so we should be safe from the girls at that basketball court. Hopefully, it'll all die down by then. Also, Kou already noticed the girls around him are gossiping about us already so he'll automatically stay away."

"That's good then. At least you won't have to go near him and risk the girls seeing both of you together. Man, these fangirls are messed up."

I grinned sadly. "Don't you enjoy the attention from the girls?"

"I am actually quite okay with the attention because I've never encountered any fangirls like senpai's," he replied with a smile. "The fangirls from my junior high can be quite clingy but I've never heard any of them hurt anyone. To be honest, they are actually quite nice to me. Giving me food, helping me with my homework and showering me with praises. All in all, they are nice. I think senpai's situation is different because I don't have you."

My head tilted in confusion at him. What did he mean? "Don't have me?"

"Oh no, not you specifically. I mean like a close female friend like senpai's relationship with you."

"You don't? What about those fangirls?"

He thought for a while before replying me. "They were fans. I can talk about the weather or school stuffs with them. They are just not exactly someone I could imagine myself to be able to befriend with. I never really have any real close female friends among my social circle until I met you."

"Eh? Why? We have only just met."

"Not really sure. There's just something about you," his eyebrows furrowed like he was thinking hard. "I guess you're different because you also happened to be a basketball player so I feel more comfortable around you. I feel like you get me."

He feels the same way as me. How both of us are comfortable with each other's presence. I may have just known him but it felt like it has been such a long time and I can tell him almost anything and he would still remain by my side. Both of our eyes locked and just like the other day in the locker room, my emotion stirred, and sitting so close to him did not help. Our faces were only inches apart and my heart was beating way too fast.

Again to not feel awkward, I switched the subject. "Maybe it's because you're seeing me as Jirou-chan?"

Sendoh chuckled heartily then stopped. "Nah, it's not that," he said then broke the gaze and stared at the floor. Then his voice became even softer, barely audible but since I was sitting just next to him, I could hear it. "It's not that at all."

Now, his face was actually conflicted as though something was bothering him.

"Sendoh? What's wrong?" I asked.

He turned to me and pursed his lips. His eyes on me were intense. "Sasaki, I have actually—"

Then the bell rang and I looked up. Seems like it's time for lunch. But I was more curious about what Sendoh has to say and focused back on him.

"You have actually?"

Sendoh opened his mouth but we were interrupted by footsteps approaching us.

"Oh, shit!" Sendoh cursed and quickly scrambled off my bed and escaped through the curtain to his bed. Then the curtain to my left sprung open and it revealed Kawari-sensei's suspicious face.

"Alright, are you feeling better already?" she asked and I nodded my head. "Good, back to class then. Your time's up."

"Yes, Sensei," I crawled out of bed and grabbed my bag. She stood still, observing me and made no attempt to walk away. Must be waiting to walk me out. I was kinda hoping to say goodbye to Sendoh first but I guess there's no choice.

Sensei followed me across the clinic towards the door. Then, I turned around to thank her and that's when I caught sight of Sendoh peeping out through the curtain. He gave me a wink and waved me goodbye.

I smiled back in return and then Sensei swirled around suspiciously but Sendoh has already withdrawn himself and hid behind the curtain.

I gave Sensei a bow, walked out of the clinic and turned down into the hall. I passed by a few female students pointing at me on my way back to the classroom but I wasn't focusing on them.

It was Sendoh instead. I hope it's not going to be our last goodbye, Sendoh. Because I want to know what was it you actually wanted to tell me.


End file.
